


Catch A Falling Star.

by WhisperLucifer



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Space, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fluff, Injury, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Blood, Science Fiction, Side KaiXing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-05 05:05:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17318633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperLucifer/pseuds/WhisperLucifer
Summary: When Chanyeol crash lands on a remote yet beautiful planet on the outskirts of the Andromeda galaxy, he discovers that the trail of diamonds he's been following to find help aren't diamonds at all, but pieces of a fallen star scattered beneath his feet. Baekhyun is that fallen star who comes to believe that maybe the fall wasn't the end after all. Maybe it was just the beginning.





	1. One.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This was (and still is) my very first chanbaek story and my first space!au so again I apologise if it is lacking in anyway. I really enjoyed writing this though, and this is one of the fics people have been asking me to re-post the most, so please enjoy ♡♡  
> Originally written and posted for the amazing exonaut fest ^^

**Written for prompt #11:** _Astronaut Chanyeol lands in a pretty small planet, in which he finds broken stars here and there. Following the traces of them, he finds their owner._

*****

    Supernova. A catastrophic explosion that just the mere thought of strikes fear into the very core of every star in the galaxy. It makes stars like Baekhyun fear for the future, now more than ever because the biggest star in the swirls of Andromeda that he calls home is coming to the end of its incredibly long life.

In the endless expanse of the Universe, time has no meaning, no relevance. It isn’t measured in seconds or months or years, and so Baekhyun doesn't know how long that star suffered in silence, ignoring the increased burning of it’s core until it was too much to stand. All he knows is that it started with a glow. Light that burned so much brighter, so much more brilliant than usual.

That’s when nearby stars began to worry, reading the signals that told them loud and clear. The last stellar evolutionary stage of the star’s life is imminent. Put simply, it’s core temperature is rising, up and up until the fateful moment when it reaches over one billion degrees Celsius, and causes an explosion so catastrophic it will damage, if not destroy, any neighbouring star caught in the blast.

Baekhyun will be one of those stars.

Time may have no meaning, and Baekhyun knows that whatever must happen does so for a reason, but that doesn't stop his vulnerable core from trembling when the end comes much quicker than expected, the glow of countless stars suddenly eclipsed by a dying supergiant.

The explosion that follows tears apart the cosmos, colliding with nearby stars with such force they lose their centre of being, the invisible rope that tethers them to the rest of the Andromeda, sending them hurtling down.

Down. Down. Down.

Endlessly down until they plummet into an unsuspecting planet or moon. Some die on impact. Others wither away slowly, their ethereal glow dimming until they simply cease to exist.

It’s an astronomical event that leaves the Andromeda Galaxy forever changed.

Torn away from the stars he’s always felt so close to, Baekhyun is one of those who are endlessly falling, frightened and wounded as he’s propelled through space by the force of an old soul gone nuclear.

Tumbling through the cosmos, he fears he’ll fall right out of the Andromeda like a diamond glittering across a terrifyingly endless expanse of black. Baekhyun’s own temperature is rising now, torn apart by shattered shards of the supernova so severely that parts of his own surface explode away from his core, leaving him exposed for the first time.

Then suddenly his temperature plummets again and he finds himself descending into the atmosphere of a planet. One that must have been closest to his once eternal position amongst others he has always been so fond of.

Now he’ll probably never see home again, unsure whether he’d even recognise it if he did.

Unable to stop or even slow down, Baekhyun’s journey ends only when he smashes into the surface of Eurydome, impacting hard and immediately destroying a tragic percentage of the small planet. The vast crater that forms beneath him expands for what seems like an eternity, and Baekhyun can only tremble with the loss of _being_ that follows.

Plants and beasts alike, even the native Eurydomites, have no defence against something so apocalyptic; everything begins to die until all that remains of the once beautiful flourishing planet is barren, empty wastelands.

Disorientated and incapacitated, Baekhyun realises that he’s lost his outer layers. All that’s left of him now is his vulnerable humanoid form. Time has no meaning, but as it inevitably passes by Baekhyun finds his natural light beginning to dim like so many others, eventually becoming barely more than a feeble ember, a far cry from the fierce glow it used to be.

A fallen star, Baekhyun is now also a destroyer of an innocent world, and as a celestial being he can _hear_ the souls – both broken star and Eurydomites alike - that still surround his splintered form. Some are screaming in pain, dying or hiding themselves away. Some are angry and Baekhyun knows that at least in part he is to blame.

One by one, as Baekhyun lays there in that crater trying to heal enough to move, the souls start to disappear. Eventually, he is the only soul that remains on the once beautiful Eurydome; he’s completely alone for the first time in his existence.

It’s then that Baekhyun’s heart truly begins to shatter.

*****

    Somewhere in the outer quadrants of the Andromeda galaxy, Chanyeol is on the flight deck of his small (but beloved) frigate _Astra_ , along with his co-pilot Jongin, and Yixing, the engineer of their small but efficient team.

They’re currently heading to Thalassa with some cargo for the planet’s medical centres. It’s a little different to Chanyeol’s usual itinerary – they’re usually charged with transferring prisoners or dignitaries – but the Nixian Space Federation (NSF) needed somebody they trusted who wasn't already out on a mission to manoeuvre medical supplies, thanks to the Thalassan’s having much of their stock stolen from their main facilities.

It could not be guaranteed that another shipment wouldn't be attacked in transit- so the government sent Chanyeol and his ‘team’.

Chanyeol himself is mixed race, human on his mother’s side, Nixian on his father’s, and as such has had to work much harder than most to land himself a job he deems fulfilling, and gain the respect of his peers and subordinates alike; it hasn't been the easiest of journeys, but he wouldn't change a second of it.

Now he works for the NSF as a liaisons officer, just like his human mother before him after starting out his career as a soldier like his father, he’s been wounded in battle too many times to count and so now works mainly as a transporter for the government.

“ _Warning. Incoming collision. Warning, please change course.” Astra,_ the ship’s computer, blurts suddenly when Chanyeol is in the middle of going through the flight plan and current ETA analysis.

“Collision? What collision?” Chanyeol asks. “There’s nothing on the--oh shi--”

Before the words can even properly leave Chanyeol’s mouth he finds himself suddenly flying through an unmarked asteroid field; they’re getting hit, and hard.

“Warning. Turbulence. Warning,” _Astra_ warns like Chanyeol hasn't already noticed the sudden shaking of the entire ship, and he doesn't even have to give the order for Yixing to be rushing off to check the cargo hold is secure.

“Chanyeol this asteroid field isn’t on any of the maps!” Jongin tells him as he helps Chanyeol to manoeuvre around the asteroids now trying to batter their hull. “ _Astra’s_ scanner didn't even notice until it was practically on top of us either. What the hell is going on?”

Chanyeol shoots him a glare. “You ask me that like I’m supposed to know! Shit--” he curses when they take another direct hit. “Get to the gunners seat now! We’ve got to break this belt up or we’re never going to get through it!”

All but throwing himself into the seat and strapping himself in, Jongin pulls on a headset so that he can still communicate with Chanyeol, who in turn presses the button for the com-link to the cargo hold. “Yixing grab yourself a headset and get your ass back up to flight deck!”

“Do you have a plan?” Jongin asks, sounding unsure in a way he rarely is.

Chanyeol smirks despite their increasingly dangerous situation. “We’re going through this cowboy style,” he says, laughing when he hears Yixing curse as he switches off the autopilot to take control himself.

“Don't do anything stupid now, Chanyeol,” Yixing warns him.

“Yixing, my friend, when have you ever known me to be stupid?”

The groan down the headset is an exasperated one. “Just try not to get us killed, that would be a start.”

This time it’s Jongin who laughs. “Lighten up. Besides, I’ve got us covered.”

“Oh _that’s_ reassuring.”

Sarcasm is a definite mood lifter in scenarios like this, Chanyeol decides as he uses evasive manoeuvres to steer his baby through the asteroids.

“Yixing I told you to get your ass up here!” Chanyeol shouts as Jongin shoots at the bigger chunks of rock that hurtle their way. “Where the hell are you?”

“We’ve been hit so I’m taking a damage reading from the hull’s main circuit.”

_That doesn't sound good_ . “How bad is it?” Chanyeol asks, not sure he wants to hear the answer.

Yixing’s voice crackles over an increasingly unreliable com-line. “One more direct hit and we’re going to lose our main thrusters -- for starters at least.”

“Great.” Chanyeol directs his attention to Jongin. “Don’t hold back Jongin. Light ‘em up.”

“There’s too many and--well, Chanyeol are you seeing this? They don't even _look_ like asteroids!” Jongin declares, cursing loudly when they take another hit that seems to rattle the entire ship.

“Jongin I don't care if they’re asteroids or haemorrhoids just blow them out of the damned way!” Chanyeol thunders, and Jongin’s next shot splits one of the rocks in almost in half, sending one of the pieces careening into the right side of the main hull and shorting the power outage.

“Yixing? Yixing are you okay!” Jongin yells when they both hear a sudden scream..

“I’m fine, just knocked off my feet and lost my headset in the fall but the ship isn’t okay, not even close.”

“What’re you saying?” Chanyeol asks, closing his eyes briefly when Yixing’s voice tells him the one thing he didn't want to hear.

“Put simply, we’re going to crash, so we’d better find a place to do it. And quickly.”

*****

“Warning, losing power. Warning, losing power,” _Astra_ informs Chanyeol again and again, flashing the scarlet red warning light and blaring her alarm so loud he can barely think straight.

“Turn off the damned alarm,” Chanyeol complains, pleased when the ship falls quiet almost immediately, though the warning light keeps flashing overhead.

Yixing and Jongin rush back to the flight deck, with the latter all but throwing himself back into the co-pilot’s seat and bringing up star maps from the NSF database, hoping to find a solution for their increasing treacherous problem.

“There aren’t any space stations or planets on the maps that we’ll be able to reach in time without our main thrusters working, especially while we’re losing so much power,” Jongin tells him, and Chanyeol bites back a groan of annoyance.

“Chanyeol you really need to update your maps,” Yixing announces, giving Chanyeol new co-ordinates before he can even think of a sarcastic remark to throw back at his engineer.

Chanyeol inputs the heading, still trying to steer them around the strange asteroids as best he can at the same time as maintaining course.

“Where the hell are you taking us Yixing?”

“Eurydome. My home planet,” Yixing answers simply.

Jongin speaks before Chanyeol. “Why isn’t it on any of our maps?”

“It’s a small and peaceful planet,” Yixing says with a smile, “and so wasn't deemed necessary to be put on the maps by the NSF until about a year ago, in acknowledgement of some technological advances.” He glances at Chanyeol. “Hence needing to update your maps.”

“If we live through this then perhaps I will.” Chanyeol smirks, always able to make light of any situation no matter how dire it seemed. It’s how he’s survived.

“Other space federations have had it on their maps for centuries,” Yixing goes on, throwing a smirk at Chanyeol. “But as our captain won’t learn to use foreign maps they’re pretty much useless to us.”

“I think the asteroid field is clearing!” Jongin shouts suddenly, and surely enough, the universe spread out and glittering before them is as calm as it was before, the danger passing as quickly as it arrived.

“Finally,” Chanyeol laughs, breathing a sigh of relief and setting the ship to autopilot, only to find that _Astra_ won’t comply. “Come on, beautiful,” he coos. “Get into gear and set autopilot.”

The computer’s main interface hologram flickers into view then – a glowing, eerie blue light that’s programmed to give the appearance of a beautiful woman in an NSF desert uniform.

“I am sorry, but the command has been overwritten.”

Chanyeol frowns. “But that’s not possible.”

“The command has been overwritten.”

“So _un-overwrite it Astra!_ ” Chanyeol shouts, cursing under his breath when she simply repeats herself as though stuck on loop; his computer is damaged. “We’re going in manual and hot. So buckle up.”

Despite throwing everything he’s got at _Astra_ , Chanyeol is unable to regain complete control of his own ship, and suddenly they’re plummeting through Andromeda, hurtling towards the surface of Eurydome so fast that some of the damaged outer shell starts to tear away from the rest of the ship, buckling under atmospheric pressure and escalating entry temperatures.

Chanyeol notices Jongin grab Yixing’s hand, and seconds later they’re crashing head on into the planet’s surface, skidding through a large field of purple grass and straight into a ruined building.

All that follows then… is silence.

*****

    “Is everyone okay?” Chanyeol asks when the smoke has cleared and the dust settled enough for him to see what he’s doing.

“We’re good!” Jongin calls somewhere behind him. “Even the cargo survived.”

Chanyeol has to laugh at that, though it quickly melts into a frown when he tries (and fails) to send out a distress call; his communications system is down.

"We’re going to need to find supplies to fix my girl up before she’ll fly again but I don't think she’s too badly damaged,” Chanyeol assesses. “It’s going to take a while, though.”

“No need to worry there,” Yixing cuts in cheerfully. “My race is a friendly people that will be more than willing to help. Here they have the latest technology so we’ll be fixed up and on our way in no time.”

Chanyeol nods. “Alright then, but grab a pack with supplies each, just in case,” he says, following his own orders too and strapping his portable computer to his wrist after plugging in _Astra’s_ motherboard.

The safety of his ship is pretty much everything to Chanyeol.

“Tell me about Eurydome,” he says to _Astra_ , who complies by bringing up an archive entry for them to view.

“ ** _Eurydome_ ** is a small but beautiful planet in the outer quadrant of the Andromeda Galaxy. The flora here is naturally purple with blooms of varying colours. Substrate is a colour similar to that of moss that grew on _Old Earth_ and the sky is always pink, the clouds orange. Animal life flourishes in all shapes, sizes and colours, and the native Eurydomites are a peaceful race that are brilliant thinkers and inventors; they have been the principal designers for space technology for over a century.”

“You do know you could have just asked me that,” Yixing says when Chanyeol shuts the computer off.

Chanyeol nods. “I know, but that would defeat the object of making sure _Astra_ still works now that I’ve transferred her to my wrist computer.”

“You can tell me all about your planet if you like,” Jongin says with a soft laugh. “I don't mind.”

As they disembark the ship, Chanyeol notices – not for the first time – that the two of them are holding hands as they make their way through the strange violet field towards where he _hopes_ civilization can help them.

Otherwise it’s going to take them time he doesn't have to spare to get a rescue freighter sent out to assist them.

_I wonder if they’re seeing one another,_ he wonders briefly as he watches his two crew members (and friends), not that he really cares, but it’s a little out of the ordinary for a Thalassan to _date_ somebody of a different species. They are, as a rule, not the type to intermingle with other races, and he’s never heard of any half-breed children being born, either.

Or perhaps he just needs to update his knowledge on that, too.

Jongin, like the rest of his race, has features that are all varying shades of blue: his hair is bright cobalt, his eyes glint like sapphires in the light and his lips are the palest of pastel blues. Even his nails are aquamarine set against the ocean sand colour of his skin.

Beautiful, some might think.

Like any Thalassan, Jongin can breathe underwater on any planet in any temperature, but would die in mere hours in a desert landscape; he needs plenty of water to survive.

Yixing, on the other hand, has deep pink eyes, hair that reminds Chanyeol of a desert storm and has fangs like the mythical vampires his human mother used to tell him about when he was growing up. Unlike Jongin, he’s also pretty much immune to heat.

Chanyeol decides that clearly opposites attract in any galaxy.

“How long will it take for us to reach any kind of civilization?” Chanyeol asks Yixing, interrupting his own wandering thoughts.

“The settlements should be just over this hill,” Yixing tells him with a bright smile.

Chanyeol is about to mention the possibility of tensions working with an NSF officer, but Yixing suddenly stops dead, a horrified gasp leaving his lips that has Chanyeol following his line of sight.

What must have once been a beautiful city is now little more than an echo of ruin, deserted streets and dilapidated buildings, debris as far as the eye can see. There’s not a single Eurydomite in sight. Not even the dead.

Honestly, it looks like war broke out and tore through the planet, leaving behind nothing but emptiness. No trees or grass in the surrounding areas, no fauna that he can see; not even any scavengers.

And it’s so quiet. It’s the kind of silence that you can _feel_ seeping through your skin and into your bones until you too are wrapped in its eerie blanket of _nothing_.

Once glance at Yixing’s tortured expression as he grips Jongin tightly for support, and all Chanyeol can think to say is, “What the hell happened here?”

*****

    When they arrive, Baekhyun senses them. The new souls entering the planet’s atmosphere making him shiver at the thought of another being discovering what he’s done to this beautiful planet.

He’s no longer curled up in the crater that he created when he fell. He’s been searching abandoned structures to find some kind of nutrition to sustain him – something he’s never needed before now – but now he’s no longer the only creature on this planet he feels more vulnerable than ever.

Baekhyun needs a place to hide and observe.

Though naturally curious as to _what_ exactly has fallen onto Eurydome, Baekhyun is also fearful, worried they will be angered by him, betrayed by the destruction he’s caused. As a star he has observed planets and their inhabitants for millennia, but he’s never been close to any being other than another star; what if they hurt him simply because of what he is?

Even in his base form Baekhyun isn’t without his strength, but he has no idea how dangerous other species are, either.

Cautiously moving closer to where the three souls are gathered, Baekhyun finds himself a place to conceal himself, on a rooftop where they won’t be able to see even his shadow. These creatures are strange to him, but one in particular appears more striking to Baekhyun than the rest. Taking in his appearance – amethyst eyes, peachy complexion and hair like the charcoal of dusted rocks – and the aura of authority, he concludes that this creature must be their leader, if the way the other two rush off to obey when he says something to them is any indication.

Watching the man with the amethyst eyes, Baekhyun finds himself smiling despite himself, wondering if he can help them somehow; he can sense how lost they feel.

Well, two feel lost, the third feels great sadness and confusion that has Baekhyun’s core twisting in guilt when he realises that this creature is a native Eurydomite. He doesn't know how he could even begin to explain to them that _he_ caused all this, destroyed the planet and drove away its people.

Baekhyun watches the two that had rushed to follow orders return to their leader, hears the Eurydomite talking to the one with warm coloured skin in hushed tones so broken he can barely stand to hear it.

“It was so full of life here, so full of my _people_ . I don’t understand what could have happened. The place we’re standing in right now? It wasn’t just dirt and destroyed buildings, it was beautiful houses of all shapes and sizes with well kept little gardens of purple grass and pastel coloured flowers. It was full of our _homes_ .”

The creature with the warm toned skin is standing at the Eurydomite’s side, wrapping an arm around him and speaking to him softly as though to comfort him, “Yixing, try not to head straight to worst case scenario. I’m sure there’s an explanation for what’s happened and I _know_ your people got out in time.”

“You can’t _know_ that, Jongin.” the Eurydomite, _Yixing_ snaps. “Nobody can.”

Curling in on himself in an effort to remain hidden, Baekhyun still finds himself listening into their conversations instead of leaving like he knows he probably should.

“We’ll get to the bottom of what happened Yixing” the leader of the trio promises with reassuring pat to his shoulder, “But in the meantime we need to find things to help us fix the thrusters, the outer wall of the ship and the circuitry. _Astra’s_ mainframe, the control and communications systems need repairing too, plus fuel and supplies.” He sighs heavily, sounding tired and disgruntled. “This is a bloody _disaster_ .”

Hearing them (him) sound so unhappy just cements Baekhyun’s need to help. It won’t by any means make up for what he’s done… but it’s a start.

Moving away from where the three souls are gathered, Baekhyun honestly has no idea how to fix a ship – though many have passed by him in his life as a celestial being – but while he’s been here he _has_ seen lots of familiar looking objects that might be useful in building one.

Rushing across what remains of Eurydome, Baekhyun grabs a contraption that looks like a large basket with wheels and a handle, to keep anything he finds that may be of use.

He doesn't really know what he’s looking for, so he grabs anything that looks large and impressive, stashing the rest away for later and then searches out a spot to leave his findings where the three wanderers will happen upon it.

Time passes this way. Night falling and fading four times without change, until on the fifth day, the leader with the amethyst eyes spots him on the hill.

“Quick! Over there, I saw somebody!” he shouts to his crewmembers, and all Baekhyun feels then is panic.

Potent and thick, it spreads through Baekhyun’s already trembling body as he realises with horror that helping this group of lost souls has been making him glow, and he senses the leader’s confusion as he approaches.

Baekhyun does the only thing he can think of. He runs. He has no idea where he’s going but he’s running anyway, unable to risk them finding him and hurting him. Or worse, them making him confess what happened here; just the thought of it is unbearable.

Skidding to a halt when he finds what looks like an upturned box, Baekhyun crawls underneath it and pleads for his skin to stop shining, terrified of what they’ll do to him if they find him here. He has no idea where these creatures are from – other than the Eurydomite – they could be starving cannibals that will consume him as punishment for what he’s done to this planet.

Clamping a hand over his mouth to hush his fearful breaths when he hears them approaching, Baekhyun closes his eyes and waits.

“What did you see, Chanyeol?”

“I’m not sure,” the voice Baekhyun recognises as the leader says. “I could’ve sworn I saw a person but, well there was a really bright light at the top of the rise, so now I can’t be sure _what_ I saw.”

Baekhyun hears them moving around, searching their surroundings he assumes, but it doesn't take them long and they’re soon gathering together near his hiding place.

“Maybe you’re just tired, your mind playing tricks on you in the hope of finding somebody alive here.”

“Yeah… Weird.” comes the reply, and relief floods through Baekhyun when he hears them retreating back the way they came.

Baekhyun needs to be more careful, he needs to remain hidden if he’s going to be of any use to them at all -- if that happens, it will be the beginning of the end, of everything.

Still, he can’t help but lay there on the dusty ground, tilting his head to watch them go with a single thought weaving through his the still trembling nerves of his mind--

_Chanyeol._

*****

    Chanyeol is in the middle of trying to fix the circuitry for _Astra’s_ mainframe when Jongin rushes into the control room, eyes alight with something Chanyeol can’t place and speaking so fast he can barely keep up.

“Another spare part has been left in plain view!” Jongin exclaims again when Chanyeol simply stares at him like he no longer understands a word he’s saying.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Deadly,” Jongin counters, and Chanyeol frowns as he stops what he’s doing to follow his crewmember outside.

They last time they were all out collecting supplies for repairs Chanyeol could have sworn he saw somebody out there on the plains of a planet now reduced to little more than wasteland. They’d even followed the direction he thought he’d seen them take off--but nothing.

No sign of anybody having ever been there at all, not even footprints pressed into the dusty ground.

The only unusual thing they’ve discovered so far – other than the planet being deserted – is what _Astra_ has informed them are _star fragments._ Dozens of them scattered everywhere and glittering like beautiful rare diamonds.

Drawn to their strange energy, Chanyeol has found himself collecting each fragment he comes across, marvelling at how light they feel in his palm, how they seem to vibrate with gentle warmth when he holds them carefully. Tiny sparkling crystals with edges jagged and sharp like broken glass, yet they do not cut him when he closes him fingers around them.

_Beautiful_ he thinks again as he gazes into the small pouch he’s been carrying around to collect the fragments in, wondering how this planet came to be strewn with pieces of a star in the first place, _so so beautiful_ .

Shaking his head at himself, Chanyeol follows Jongin further from the ship, eyes narrowed as he scans the area; his acute vision will allow him to spot even the slightest movement in the dunes. The mystery ship parts have to be coming from _somewhere_ , and it does nothing to lessen the feeling that’s been crawling just beneath his skin since they first crashed on Eurydome.

The feeling that they’re being watched.

Chanyeol knows something is out there. He trusts his instincts enough to know that much is true, he just has no idea whether that _something_ will turn out to be friend or foe, but he has every intention of finding out one way or another.

He glares out at the horizon, willing it to give him the answers he seeks, to will this _something_ out into the open; he isn’t surprised when his unanswered questions remain exactly that.

“We’re having some really good luck with these parts we need,” Yixing announces, smiling slightly as he holds up a piece of replacement thruster.

Chanyeol nods once. “Yeah, good luck,” he says quietly, his attention more focused on the sparkling _something_ in the distance.

He sets off towards it without another word.

Following the glittering _thing_ away from the dilapidated homesteads nearby, Chanyeol only realises that his crew is following him when he hears Jongin’s voice behind him.

“Where are we going?” he asks. “Did you see something?”

“Something,” Chanyeol says almost absently. “You should both stay with the ship. Protect my girl.”

He does smile though, when Jongin’s response to that causal order is to draw his blaster and move a little closer.

Yixing unsheathes his plasma dagger too, and Chanyeol sighs heavily when he finds himself walking amongst yet more splintered fragments of star. Crouching down to retrieve them, he adds them to the pouch attached to his hip, then pulls out his twin energy blades when he notices the glittering up ahead beginning to appear more like a ball of light.

“Don't look at me for answers,” Chanyeol says when Yixing and Jongin gaze at him quizzically as they follow the glinting trail of fragments. “I’m as clueless about this as you are. Jongin’s the smart one anyway.”

He stays ahead of his crewmembers – just in case – and keeps collecting the fragments that seem to show no signs of thinning out. If anything, the further away from the ship they venture, the more of them he finds.

Chanyeol is certain that the fragments are connected to something, and his eyes scan the terrain unblinking, ready for if they’re about to walk into some kind of elaborate trap.

“This used to be my favourite store as a kid.” Yixing announces absently as pass a broken down wreck of a building. “My best friend’s parents owned it and we used to play there all the time.”

Chanyeol feels bad for him, he does, he can’t begin to imagine what he’s going through but he can’t spare more than a second to glance at what remains of the structure for fear that they’ll all end up in trouble. He won’t risk them all now for things he can’t change.

When the buildings thin even more, they come upon what Chanyeol suspects was some kind of grassland but is now more like dust and frazzled flora that resembles dried twigs.

“This was a children’s play area.” Yixing sounds more folorn than ever, “I used to come here with my dad when he wasn’t working on his latest invention. Now it’s nothing but dirt.”

Chanyeol watches as Jongin tries to comfort their engineer, tries to keep him from falling apart because right now that’s possibly the _worst_ thing he could do. “The land will re-grow. Given enough time you’d be amazed at what a planet can repair and rebuild. It’ll be like new again and--” Jongin trails off, his attention clearly captured by something neither Chanyeol or Yixing has noticed. “ That ancient looking temple is glowing,” his voice is thick with uncertainty. “Tell me I’m not the only one that sees that.”

Yixing shakes his head, stepping closer to Jongin, and Chanyeol takes the lead once more. “You’re not,” he mutters, heading towards the temple. “Don't let your guard down even for a second.”

Once inside, Chanyeol quickly notices that the temple roof has caved in at some point during whatever happened on this tiny planet, light from what must be Eurydome’s sun pours onto the altar at the far side of the room, which is almost cracked clean in two.

However, other than the obvious deterioration caused by being impossibly old, the small place of worship seems to be relatively undamaged, save for the dust and debris left behind by time and the collapse of the roof.

Chanyeol wanders through the building with his two crewmembers close behind him, and he’s about to declare the place deserted until he notices that the pouch on his hip is _glowing_ . No, not the pouch, the star fragments _inside_ it.

_Something_ is here.

“I don't like this,” Yixing says quietly when the further into the building they go, the brighter the fragments glow. “Everything about this place feels… _wrong_ .”

The pouch feels heavier, like it’s somehow filled with stones rather than diamond-like pieces of star, and when Chanyeol reaches inside it, he gasps when he discovers that the fragments have moulded themselves together.

“ Chanyeol I think Yixing is right, there’s something wrong here,” Jongin reasons. “We should go back to the ship.”

“ No,” Chanyeol says firmly. “I know what I’m doing.”

He doesn't, not really. But instinct compels him to follow the light now glowing in the palm of his hand, and so follow it he does, until he finds himself standing at a small door at the back of the church that he would never have found without this light to guide him.

“I have no idea what’s behind this door,” Chanyeol whispers so low it sounds almost like a hiss, “so be ready for anything.”

After receiving two nods of acknowledgement from his crewmembers, Chanyeol hesitates for only a moment before kicking open the warped door; the sight that greets him is enough to have his heart seemingly forgetting how to beat.

Over in the far corner stands a man. Although he isn’t like any man Chanyeol has ever seen before, he looks almost _ethereal_ .

Curly blonde hair so fair it appears almost white, pale skin that looks as fragile as rice paper but shimmers much like the ball of light in Chanyeol’s hand, eyes of liquid mercury and a slender form that although beautiful, looks more than a little malnourished-- and completely naked.

He looks like something out of a dream, like a creature of ancient myth and fantasy; Chanyeol has never seen anything like it.

Before Chanyeol can do more than be stunned by the beauty of creature before him, the light in his hand begins to glow brighter and more intense than ever, the fragments vibrating so hard it’s almost painful to keep hold of them.

“Stay back,” Chanyeol orders when Jongin and Yixing move closer. “Both of you.”

Seconds later and the fragments burst from Chanyeol’s hand, burning his palm, and fly strong and true towards the beautiful man, impaling him hard in the chest.

A scream rings out, the sound an almost otherworldly howl of pain as the man’s whole body begins to spasm violently. Chanyeol hears Yixing’s quiet fearful cry, sees Jongin move to hold him tightly, but his focus is almost solely on the creature before him as the scream fades away to be replaced by a soft humming sound, beams of brilliant white light bursting from his eyes, ears and mouth without warning.

Shielding his eyes from the light so brilliant it could banish even the darkest of shadows, Chanyeol watches the man drop to his knees, panting and sweating as the light fades, and he automatically rushes to him, catching him as he collapses completely, clutching his chest and struggling to stay conscious.

“Can you hear me?” Chanyeol asks as he lowers them both to the floor properly. “What’s your name?”

“Baek…” his voice, soft and smooth like the water of a still lake, fades out with a pained gasp. “Baekhyun.”

“Hello, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol smiles in the hope of reassuring him somehow. “My name is Chanyeol.”

It’s as far as he gets before Baekhyun loses consciousness completely and goes limp in his arms.

“Is he…?” Jongin asks as he rushes towards them.

Chanyeol shakes his head, his fingers pressed gently against the pulse point in Baekhyun’s neck. “His pulse is weak but there… He’s barely even breathing.”

“What do you want us to do?” Yixing asks when Chanyeol stands up with Baekhyun in his arms, the soft gasps of breath against Chanyeol’s neck the only sign that he’s still alive.

“Get back to the ship, set up the medical bay,” he says quickly, and then turns to Jongin. “Find some food from our store and gather some of our cargo just in case we need it.”

“For him?” Jongin asks, nodding towards the almost lifeless form in Chanyeol’s arms.

Chanyeol nods. “Yes, he’s coming back with us, both because he needs help and because I don’t trust him. I don’t fancy him making a meal out of us when he realises we’re the only edible things on this planet. ”

Two nods and his crew are rushing off to do as they’ve been asked, and Chanyeol finds himself smiling at their display of unwavering loyalty.

Glancing down at Baekhyun, he only hopes _Astra_ is fixed up enough for them to be able to help him, for the loyalty of his crew to not go to waste.

*****

    Once back on the ship, Chanyeol quickly (and carefully) puts Baekhyun in the medical pod – an almost coffin shaped medical droid with an inbuilt computer containing the knowledge of every living species known to the NSF, and medical tools to heal and cure almost anything an injury or illness can throw at it.

Programming the computer to give Baekhyun a complete body scan, Chanyeol frowns when the med-droids scanner fails, displaying a flashing error message that simply says _no data_ .

“What do you mean no data?” Chanyeol mutters to himself, rerouting the scan to _Astra’s_ mainframe database. “Give me a species scan,” he tells her, frowning when she too gives him an error message.

“ _Analysis incomplete. Celestial body, need additional advice.”_

“Well, that’s not normal,” Chanyeol grumbles, smacking the machine hard in frustration and turning to Yixing. “Have you ever known both the med-droid and _Astra_ fail a species analysis before?”

His engineer shakes his head. “Never heard of it ever happening in the NSF archives, and they’re usually pretty detailed.” A smirk curves Yixing’s lips. “Though yours are probably out-dated, same as everything else on this ship.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes at that, trying to get _Astra_ to rescan, annoyed when she just keeps telling him the same thing over and over; so now he has a decision to make, and quickly.

Baekhyun’s breathing is no more than rapid, shallow pants and he’s now completely unresponsive.

“Astra, instruct the med-droid to give him something for shock, something to help him breathe and any nutrients he’s missing for regaining strength.”

_Astra_ immediately follows his command, and within minutes Baekhyun is breathing normally, assisted by the small tube up his nose that contains a specially concentrated type of gas that works on most species.

Scientific advances really are wonderful sometimes.

“I’ve found the supplies you asked for,” Jongin tells him, and Chanyeol smiles gratefully.

“Both of you cover up any exposed parts of the ship outside, then get some rest,” he says. “You’ve worked hard and we could all do with a break.”

“Are you taking a break too then?” Yixing asks.

Chanyeol nods. “I’ll stay here a while, keep an eye on him then I’ll get some sleep too.”

Though Yixing and Jongin leave him to it then, Chanyeol knows that his crew probably know he has no intention of resting when there’s an injured, _unidentified_ party on board their ship, but he appreciates the cooperation nonetheless.

“Scan for injuries,” Chanyeol commands the med-droid, which does so immediately.

“ _The anomaly is ninety-eight percent healthy_ ,” the droid reports, to which Chanyeol frowns.

“What about the other two percent?”

“ _Identification is needed to make an analysis.”_

"Of course it is,” Chanyeol mutters, feeling as irritated as he is confused and intrigued. “Astra, have the med-droid check Baekhyun’s vitals every hour and replenish anything that his body is lacking to survive. Don’t get him to his full strength though. I don’t know his game yet.”

_Astra_ inputs the command, and Chanyeol settles himself back in one of the observation seats within the medical bay, intent on staying the night both to keep an eye on Baekhyun’s health, and to ensure his presence on their ship poses no threat.

A few hours pass in relative quiet, before Jongin is slipping into the room and handing Chanyeol and packet of synth-food; a nutritionally balanced meal compressed into a paste like substance holding various flavours from all over the Andromeda.

Tonight it’s Nixian chile bohne bos (chilli bean beef), one of his absolute favourites as a child. “Thanks,” he says to Jongin, who nods and smiles warmly.

Let me know if you want us to take turns on guard tonight.”

"I’ve got it covered, you get back to Yixing.”

Jongin sighs softly, but relents. “Don't forget to actually eat that,” he says, handing him a pack of water too before leaving as quietly as he entered.

Now it’s Chanyeol’s turn to sigh, watching Baekhyun, his mind turning to thoughts of his crew and the repairs that still need to be done over and over again until he feels a little dizzy. In the end, all Chanyeol can do is hope that in letting this unknown entity on board his damaged ship he hasn't just made a mistake that could cost them all dearly.

*****

    When Baekhyun regains consciousness, he doesn't know how much time has passed. All he can focus on is the strange humming noise that seems to be echoing around him.

Blinking a few times in an effort to clear his vision and take in his surroundings, fear unlike anything he’s ever felt before slams into his body so he can barely breathe through it when he realises that he’s trapped in some kind of transparent cage.

Mind racing, he remembers now, the creature with the amethyst eyes that broke his fall as he collapsed without warning. That creature must have brought him here.

Terrified that he’s locked in some sort of prison, Baekhyun starts hitting the strange, smooth surface, desperate to escape. But he’s much too weak. Choked cries that he’s never heard before spill from his lips over and over when he realises just how trapped, how _vulnerable_ he is here.

“Hey, hey Baekhyun, stop hitting my droid!” the one with the amethyst eyes says, his face suddenly appearing beyond the cage. “You need to try and calm down, okay? You’re safe here -- so long as you don’t break it, that is. I’m Chanyeol, do you remember me?”

_Chanyeol_ . Yes, that’s his name. Baekhyun nods frantically. “Let me out, Chanyeol… Please let me out.”

Watching as Chanyeol taps a strange square object a couple of times, Baekhyun flinches at the soft click that sounds before the panel keeping him imprisoned slides away.

“I promise I haven’t done anything wrong,” Baekhyun rambles, sitting bolt upright and gasping for breath, fighting to ignore the way the lie burns almost as much as the fear coursing through his body. “Please… Please don't put me back in prison.”

“You’re not in trouble, Baekhyun. You’re innocent until proven guilty, but that wasn’t a prison, alright?” Chanyeol assures him, though he’s still watching him carefully, “You’ve been in a medical droid hub to help you heal while you slept.”

Baekhyun nods, feeling strangely embarrassed by his own pitiful begging. “W-what are you going to do to me now then?”

“Nothing much. It depends. But first I think I’ll be decent and offer you breakfast. Need a hand?” Chanyeol says, offering his arm and smiling when Baekhyun lets himself be helped out of the med thing.

“I guess I am hungry,” Baekhyun murmurs quietly.

So _that’s_ what the painful grumbling inside is -- _hunger_ . Gathering food hasn't exactly been Baekhyun’s strong point since he fell, mostly he’s been wandering around, bare and vulnerable, hoping to come across another soul that would help him; he has no idea how to survive as anything other than a celestial body watching over the Universe for eternity.

“I brought you some clothes,” Chanyeol tells him, handing him an outfit almost identical to his own. “It’s just a spare uniform but it’ll help with the shaking, and the… nakedness.”

“Thank you,” Baekhyun says gratefully, allowing Chanyeol to help him dress and sighing softly when the trembling that has plagued his body for what seems like an age immediately starts to ease.

Following quietly when Chanyeol leads him to a place he calls the ship's _mess,_ Baekhyun goes rigid in fear when he sees two other creatures sat eating. He may have been following them to try and help them with their ship, but up close they seem so much more threatening. _Dangerous._

“Guys, this is Baekhyun,” Chanyeol introduces them brightly. “Baekhyun, this is Yixing our engineer, and Jongin, our co-pilot.”

Baekhyun hides himself behind Chanyeol’s much larger form. “It’s n-nice to meet you b-both,” he says timidly.

Yixing, the obvious native to this planet, offers him sustenance, and Baekhyun finds himself sitting between them and agreeing to eat. Sustenance tastes strange, he thinks, but it makes him feel warm inside, and a little less like he might collapse again without warning.

“ If you don’t mind me asking, Baekhyun,” Jongin asks after a short while, “what exactly _are_ you?”

Baekhyun frowns, not understanding the question. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m Thalassan, for example,” Jongin explains. “Understand?”

“Yes, yes I understand!” Baekhyun almost shouts, pleased that Jongin didn't have to explain himself more than once. “I’m a star, a fallen star specifically. And the fragments you keep finding are pieces of me that were lost as I fell.” He sees the look of shock that passes across their faces almost at the same time. “Should I not have told you this?”

“It’s good that you’re so honest, Baekhyun. I guess now I know why the med-droid couldn’t account for your other two per-cent.” Chanyeol smiles, letting him know that he hasn't acted wrongly, and though Baekhyun has no idea what he’s talking about, he daren’t question him either. “But none of us have ever seen a fallen star--didn't even know a star _could_ fall, so it’s a lot to take in.”

Baekhyun nods. “I understand.” He swallows a few more mouthfuls of the sustenance that’s making him feel so warm and comfortable inside. “This sustenance tastes good,” he announces, wondering if he’s said something weird when they all laugh quietly.

“Wait until you’ve been eating it for a year,” Yixing chuckles with a smile, “then you won’t be so enthusiastic about it.”

Baekhyun is confused, doesn't understand why it seems this Yixing native doesn't like the sustenance his leader gives to him, but he doesn't say anything, instead he stares at the table – Chanyeol explained to him what it was – and wonders why his face suddenly feels so warm.

“Are there more broken pieces of you out there somewhere?” Chanyeol asks.

“There must be,” Baekhyun hums, trying to push back an unexpected wave of sadness that threatens to consume him. “I feel… incomplete.”

Chanyeol looks at him in a way he doesn’t understand but makes his face feel hot. “Are you the one who has been leaving the ship parts where we can find them?”

“Yes… that was me.” Baekhyun admits quietly, hoping he hasn’t caused them any extra trouble.

“In that case how about I help get them all back to you, in exchange for you showing me where you found those parts because we’re going to need more of them to fix my girl. It’s a win-win, right?”

Baekhyun doesn’t know what _his girl_ is. “What’s a win-win?” he asks instead though, because he doesn’t understand that, either.

Chanyeol smiles and Baekhyun wonders why he feels like he’s going to start trembling again. “It means we both get something we want and are happy about it.”

_Finally_ , Baekhyun thinks as he nods eagerly, something he can actually help with. After all the destruction he’s caused on this beautiful planet, it’s the least he can do.

*****

    For the first time since he fell through the cosmos and crash landed on this planet, Baekhyun wakes feeling something close to actually rested, curled up in the sleeping quarters of the ship's Captain.

Originally, Chanyeol had told him he should sleep in the _med thing_ until he’s properly recovered, but Baekhyun had gotten so panicked and upset that Chanyeol relented and consented to him staying with him instead.

Gazing around the room with wide, curious eyes, Baekhyun is surprised that it doesn't seem at all bigger than any of the other rooms he’s seen on board _Astra_ ; he isn’t sure why, but he’s surprised that the leader of the small group doesn't have the largest space on the ship.

Letting his eyes fall to where Chanyeol insisted on sitting to keep watch over him, Baekhyun notices that he’s fast asleep in a rather uncomfortable looking contraption that he remembers being told is called a chair.

Yesterday, Chanyeol walked around the ship with him, and Baekhyun learned a lot of new words, he was even given a small box called a _palm pilot_ which will explain things to him if Chanyeol isn’t around to help, all he has to do is talk to it and point it at whatever he wishes to learn about.

It isn’t that Baekhyun doesn't understand anything at all, having observed countless worlds as they’ve come and gone, having watched and appreciated all forms of life, but there’s only so much _watching_ can do, and this new world of _technology_ has him feeling as lost and unsure as an infant.

Sighing, Baekhyun finds himself unable to keep from watching Chanyeol in this sleeping state; he looks so much calmer, so much more relaxed that he can’t bring himself to disturb him. Instead he climbs off the bed quietly, taking the blanket he is to use to keep warm and drapes it over Chanyeol as gently as he can, smiling when he doesn't so much as flinch.

Climbing back onto the bed, Baekhyun leans against the pillows, curling his knees up to his chest, content to just _watch_ Chanyeol; he’s never seen another being so close before, and he finds everything about him fascinating.

Chanyeol is a big Nixian, tall with a broad chest and shoulders, and now he isn’t strapped in something he calls _battle gear_ , Baekhyun can see just how much defined muscle makes up that strong body. Chanyeol’s charcoal coloured hair falls gently into his eyes as he sleeps, and Baekhyun finds himself almost wishing to see their strange purple colour up close too.

Watching the rise and fall of Chanyeol’s chest makes Baekhyun’s heart begin to beat to a rhythm he’s unused to, faster and out of time, like it suddenly has wings and it’s learning how to flutter around inside his chest. He doesn't understand it, of course, he felt strange around Chanyeol yesterday too, like he was going to start trembling again even though he was no longer cold.

Baekhyun wonders if he should ask Chanyeol about it later.

Time still means little to Baekhyun, and so he’s unsure of how much of it passes as he watches Chanyeol sleep, but he jumps in fright when the Eurydomite, Yixing, enters the room and wakes the Captain up.

“Sorry to disturb you, Chanyeol,” Yixing apologises. “I just wanted to tell you that me and Jongin are ready to continue repairs if we have permission to leave the ship.”

Chanyeol sits up straighter, rubbing his eyes. “Permission granted, as long as you take a com-link and stay together.”

“We will. Hello, Baekhyun, sleep well?” Yixing asks, and Baekhyun is startled by the direct conversation.

“Hello, I slept very well thank you,” he says quietly, staring down at himself and feeling a strange discomfort at the way the crewmember is watching him.

When Yixing leaves, it’s Chanyeol who turns to him then. “How long have you been awake?”

“I don't know, it felt like a while but I did not want to disturb you when you were resting.”

“ Thanks for the blanket.”

“You are welcome.” Baekhyun smiles, proud that he’s done something good, warmth spreading through him so quickly it makes his face feel hot.

“Would you like a real tour of the ship today?” Chanyeol asks. “You really shouldn't be outside yet, at least not until the medical droid or _Astra_ have assessed you.”

“Yes, I would very much like to see the ship.” Baekhyun nods. “Will Yixing and Jongin be joining us too?”

Chanyeol shakes his head, an odd look on his face. “No, but I can call them back if you’d like to see them.”

Baekhyun is quick to object to that idea. “I think they make me feel strange.”

“Strange?” Chanyeol repeats. “In what way?”

“My face gets all hot and I want to move around a lot.”

“Ah, you mean they make you nervous,” Chanyeol utters with a smile.

“Nervous.” Baekhyun nods, repeating the word.

“You really don't have to be nervous around my crew as long as you’re honest and keep your word,” Chanyeol assures him as he leads the way back down to the mess so they can have breakfast. “They’re just interested in you, that’s all.”

Baekhyun smiles at that, more so when he’s then permitted to choose his own sustenance for the morning. He sits next to Chanyeol and finds himself feeling warm all over again, a little like he’s actually starting to _sweat_ too – if that’s what uncomfortable, damp skin beneath his clothes means – but he keeps trembling as though he’s cold but he’s too _nervous_ to ask Chanyeol why he feels like this.

After their time in the mess is when Baekhyun’s day starts to get a little stressful; Chanyeol wants to put him back in the med thing that makes him feel like a prisoner.

“I’m frightened,” Baekhyun admits quietly as they both stand beside it.

“It won’t be for long. Trust me. You’ll be able to see me and what I’m doing the whole time.” Chanyeol says. “I’ve just got to make sure you’re on the mend and haven’t brought any foreign viruses onto my ship.”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath and nods, allowing Chanyeol to guide him into the pod, gasping when his heart starts to pound the second Chanyeol closes the lid over him, but he remains quiet because he can hear the Captain instructing it to scan him for injury and infection, and check for any imbalances that can be fixed.

He does flinch though, when a red light starts moving over the length of his body from his head to his toes over and over again.

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Baekhyun. You’ll be out before you know it.” Chanyeol assures him. “Just focus on me if it helps you stay calm. I’ve been told I’m very easy on the eyes.”

Baekhyun does as he’s told, but although he remains calm, he ends up feeling incredibly light headed, almost like he’ll collapse again, when Chanyeol smiles brightly at him through the transparent panel.

After his medical assessment, Baekhyun is then allowed to go anywhere on the ship he wishes, and so has Chanyeol take him to see the cargo bay, the bridge, the brig – where the _actual_ prisoners would be kept – and he’s fascinated by pretty much everything. From the electronics and the lights, to all the little buttons that all do things he’s never even heard of; Chanyeol even lets him press a few of the ‘safe’ ones.

He’s seen the mess and Chanyeol’s quarters already, but Baekhyun briefly sees the quarters that Yixing and Jongin share – a room that surprises him because it’s larger than Chanyeol’s – the spare quarters and the maintenance shafts.

For as fascinating as it is, it’s a lot to take in, and Baekhyun finds himself growing tired easily as he asks Chanyeol question after question – as well as having his palm… _what was it again_ , give him information about every little thing he points it at – he absorbs information like a sponge, or so Chanyeol tells him with a laugh.

Apparently though, that’s a good thing.

*****

    It’s a curious thing, Chanyeol thinks as he watches Baekhyun laying on the ground outside one evening and gazing up at the stars that seem much less densely scattered than they were before, feeling so protective over somebody he barely knows.

But Baekhyun is different to any creature Chanyeol has ever encountered before. He’s so innocent to the worlds around them, and though he can't even begin to know what it must be like to be a star, much less a fallen one. Chanyeol can’t imagine never being physically close to anything or anybody; he can’t imagine simply standing still for eternity.

When they first took Baekhyun back to the ship and the med-droid couldn’t tell them exactly _what_ he was, Chanyeol had found himself suspicious as well as concerned for the unknown entity. Suspicious because he was a stranger and none of them had any idea just how much a threat he might be.

It’s part of the reason why he had Baekhyun staying in his quarters with him, where he could keep a much closer watch on him. But now that he’s learned a little more about him, Chanyeol isn’t sure the fallen star is a threat to anything.

Safety isn’t the only reason he’s kept Baekhyun so close though, and Chanyeol isn’t ashamed to admit to himself that it’s also because he’s _attracted_ to him. Watching the fascination lighting up his face every time they take a walk around the ship, the way he talks a mile a minute whenever he’s excited by some new discovery he’s made (like the function of a _shower_ ), even the surprise on his face when Yixing and Jongin take the time to explain new things to him is so endearing it makes Chanyeol smile more than he has in years.

It makes him want to keep Baekhyun around, makes him want to learn more about him because he’s beautiful in ways Chanyeol has never seen before.

“What was it like up there, before you fell?” Chanyeol asks quietly as he settles himself down on the ground beside him. “What did you do?”

Baekhyun looks at him, smiling for the briefest moment before returning his gaze to the galaxy high above them, clearly pleased that he’s now been deemed fit enough to venture out of the safety of the ship. “Every star has its place in the universe. They don't stray from their position and they don't interfere with the laws of the cosmos… They never need rest or sustenance the way I do now,” Baekhyun explains softly. “As a star, I observed. I observed everything that ever travelled through the small piece of the cosmos that I called my home. I saw all the life, death, growth and everything in between that happened there. It was beautiful.”

The look on Baekhyun’s face then has Chanyeol deciding that something so beautiful should never be allowed to feel so sad. “Do you miss it? Home, I mean.”

“I feel incomplete,” Baekhyun says in way of an answer, sitting up and staring at the ground instead of the sky. “I don't belong anywhere now, Chanyeol. I have no task in life. No destiny to follow.”

Feeling guilty for bringing it up when the wounds are clearly still so raw, Chanyeol reaches out to tilt Baekhyun’s chin up so that he’s facing him. “I think… I think you could belong with us,” Chanyeol almost whispers. “If you want to. I mean, you haven’t tried to kill us yet, but somehow I don’t think you will.”

The rosy hue that stains the apple’s of Baekhyun’s pale cheeks then only seems to make him even more beautiful, and Chanyeol can’t just ignore the moment, the _something_ that’s between them; he’s startled to find that he actually _wants_ Baekhyun to belong to them… To _him_ .

It’s a feeling unlike anything he’s ever felt before.

Leaning closer, Chanyeol hears Baekhyun’s tiny gasp when he strokes his still blushing cheek with the back of his fingers, lost in the way the silver of Baekhyun’s eyes seem to sparkle in the muted light that reaches them from the ship.

He wants to ask if there’s anything he can do to make Baekhyun feel more complete, if he needs Chanyeol to search for more broken star fragments, if he needs anything at all, but Jongin’s voice sounds on the com-link and shatters whatever moment was building between them.

“What is it, Jongin?”

“Repairing the circuitry might take longer than we originally thought -- it’s completely fried.”

Chanyeol sighs. “Just do what you can for now. In a few days Baekhyun might be able to help us find the rest of the the things we need to fix my girl right up.”

He smiles when Jongin laughs. “Well, I hope she appreciates it.”

“Are you okay, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asks when he notices the rather intense way he’s watching him.

“I feel… strange.”

“In what way?” Chanyeol questions quickly, worried that Baekhyun may be sick in some way that the med-droid hasn't picked up on.

Baekhyun thinks about this for a long moment before answering. “Well, I’m hot and I keep shaking like I’m cold… I’m sweating and I feel like I can’t breathe properly--I don't understand.”

He sounds so unsure, it pulls at Chanyeol’s heartstrings.

“Perhaps you’ve contracted a virus or something.” Chanyeol frowns, wondering how his med-droid can have missed something like a fever.

The last thing he needs is an unknown virus spreading to him and his crew.

“How can you give me a virus?” Baekhyun asks. “Wouldn't you have to be sick first? That’s how infection works, is it not?”

Now it’s Chanyeol’s turn to be confused. “Baekhyun… when exactly do you feel this way?”

“So far, whenever you’re close by,” Baekhyun says honestly. “It’s like the nervous thing you explained to me before… only different. What’s wrong with me, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol understands then, knows exactly what Baekhyun is feeling, because he’s pretty sure he’s feeling it too.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol smiles. “If I’m right, then what you’re feeling is called attraction.”

“What is attraction?”

“It’s…” Chanyeol pauses, trying to think of a way to explain it, to put a feeling into words. “It’s when two people feel drawn to one another in a way that makes them want to stay close to one another, more than anybody else. Sometimes with no clothes on but I guess that’s irrelevant right now”

Baekhyun frowns. “I don't understand.”

Looking back at the ship as though it holds a better explanation, Chanyeol notices Yixing and Jongin playing around together as they work, keeping things light to keep each other from panicking about their current situation. “It’s like Yixing and Jongin over there. I don’t know exactly _what_ their relationship is now, but they’re clearly attracted to one another,” Chanyeol tells Baekhyun, who follows his line of sight to his crewmates. “It’s clear in the way they act around each other -- it’s what people do when they feel attraction, even though sometimes, they’re unaware that they’re even doing it.”

“I think I understand,” Baekhyun says, smiling so beautifully Chanyeol has to look away.

“Good. Now, would you like to help me prepare things for dinner and I’ll tell Jongin and Yixing to take a break.”

“I would love to help!” Baekhyun exclaims, and Chanyeol can’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

It’s adorable really, and continues right through meal preparation, with Baekhyun copying every single movement Chanyeol makes, talking aloud as he goes. He only falls quiet when Chanyeol’s crewmates come in together, laughing loudly about some joke or other one of them has told.

Not for the first time it makes Chanyeol grateful that he didn't get stuck with two incredibly boring NSF teammates; he’d have probably gone insane by now.

He notices Baekhyun watching the two of them again, wondering why his eyes have suddenly gone so wide. He lets his gaze fall onto his crewmates too, just in time to see Yixing return the rather passionate kiss Jongin has clearly just instigated.

It’s the first time he’s seen such intimacy between them, and it confirms Chanyeol’s previous suspicions about them being together.

“Is everything okay, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asks quietly when he notices just how conflicted he suddenly looks.

Baekhyun doesn't reply, merely closes the distance between them and kisses him, hard, clumsy and full on the mouth.

Shocked, Chanyeol automatically returns the kiss only for a second before he’s pulling away. “What’re you doing?”

“It’s what people do when they feel attraction, act like your crewmates,” Baekhyun says, smiling brightly. “That’s what you told me.”

Chanyeol is rendered speechless, but the silence soon breaks when Jongin and Yixing laugh obnoxiously.

The worried little frown on Baekhyun’s face and the barely there quiver of his bottom lip is almost heartbreaking. “Did… Did I do something wrong? Chanyeol? Did I behave badly?”

“No! No of course not!” Chanyeol rushes to tell him, afraid that Baekhyun may actually cry he looks so downtrodden. “I just… wasn't expecting it, that’s all. It’s been a long time since somebody kissed me, can you believe that?”

“Then…” Baekhyun pauses, looking shy. “Can I do it again?”

”Oh, I don’t know about that.” Chanyeol teases, but pulls Baekhyun into a kiss anyway, one that’s softer and much more gentle, heart skipping at the way Baekhyun almost sighs into his mouth at the contact.

Chanyeol ignores the way he _knows_ Yixing and Jongin are staring at him because of his inability to refuse Baekhyun – or his kisses – but wonders if he should be worried about just how much he’s already starting to _feel_ for Baekhyun, for his fallen star.

He doesn't even know if stars can feel love the way he does, or if they can form romantic bonds -- or if Baekhyun will even _want_ that with him when he really comes to understand what any of those things mean.

Perhaps showing Baekhyun how to live more like them isn’t such a good idea after all, perhaps he should have been more like a star himself and not interfere when Baekhyun is clearly so impressionable right now.

But of course if he had done that, then Baekhyun would never have asked about attraction, and so would never have kissed him.

Chanyeol isn’t sure he could have lived with that, either.

*****

    It goes on this way for several days, with Chanyeol pointedly ignoring the curious and sometimes strange looks his crewmates give him whenever Baekhyun comes to kiss him and he doesn’t ( _can’t_ ) refuse him. 

Chanyeol notices that he and Baekhyun seem to keep catching each other staring when they think the other isn’t watching, and he finds the blush that colours Baekhyun’s pale cheeks each time he realises he’s been caught adorable.

Nights are a different story though, gone is Baekhyun’s infectious laughter and bright smiles because he seems to be so damned _cold_ that at first Chanyeol struggled to find ways to keep him warm. Clearly the fallen star is having trouble adjusting to life in a humanoid body, and though Chanyeol gave him an extra pile of blankets to sleep under he kept shivering so violently Chanyeol ended up holding him close instead.

Apparently body heat works just as well for Baekhyun as it would for a human being, though Chanyeol isn’t sure which one of them it helps more. The fallen star or the lonely soldier.

In just a few days Baekhyun has gained an impressive amount of weight, the hollows between his bones aren’t so obvious and he seems much less frail now that his body seems to have balanced itself out and adjusted into a new, slender but definitely curvy form that honestly, Chanyeol can’t get enough of _admiring_ .

It confuses Baekhyun though, all these changes his body is going through, and Chanyeol has to explain to him that he was so thin because he wasn’t getting the _sustenance_ he now needs to survive, that he has to eat and sleep in order to be healthy and function properly like the rest of them.

The ships food menu, it turns out, is just another thing for Baekhyun to be incredibly enthusiastic about.

Chanyeol knows he’s growing close to straying into potentially dangerous territory, knows he shouldn’t let himself get attached to Baekhyun, to _care_ for him the way he’s starting to, but at the same time he can’t seem to stop. Instead he finds himself ignoring those _looks_ from Yixing and Jongin until he deems Baekhyun healthy enough to leave the ship properly and perhaps help them find the extra parts they need.

Baekhyun is as enthusiastic as ever, and Chanyeol is pleased that they can get back on the right track of fixing up the ship so they can get off what remains of this decimated planet.

Though Baekhyun looks proud that he can be of use, he seems increasingly nervous when they take him back out into open space again, almost like being inside the ship has made him wary of being out in the settlements.

“I honestly have no idea what any of these things are,” Baekhyun admits as he leads them – with Chanyeol’s comforting arm around his shoulders – through what’s left of the buildings that have collapsed into what used to be walkways, “but they looked impressive to me and like they might be important so I’ve been keeping them safe for if ever somebody came here and needed them.”

“This is amazing Baekhyun, really.” Chanyeol assures him when, looking around the building that looks much like an old warehouse, he sees that the fallen star has collected most of the parts they’re going to need to finish fixing up his girl.

“Scavenge and salvage whatever you can that may be of use,” he instructs Jongin and Yixing, who both nod in acknowledgement.

“What’re you going to do?” Yixing asks, the same almost sceptical look on his face that he’s had ever since Baekhyun first kissed him.

Jongin speaks before Chanyeol can answer. “You going to do a little star frag recon?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Chanyeol laughs, unsurprised when they start making jokes at his expense again.

“Don’t do anything we wouldn't do!” Jongin shouts as he turns to walk Baekhyun back out of the warehouse.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “Just get a room so you don't go giving my star anymore ideas!”

“Oh, _your star_ is it now!” both of them shout, words barely audible amongst the laughter.

Chanyeol doesn't miss it though, the look that passes between them or the fact that their smiles don't quite reach their eyes anymore. It makes him wonder what’s going on with them, but of course he just laughs along and leads Baekhyun away, with the intention of getting out of the area and closer to where he found the most star fragments before.

“Wait, before we go!” Baekhyun shouts, turning and rushing back to Jongin and Yixing. “Be careful, because sometimes the buildings still collapse.”

Jongin nods. “Thanks for the heads up,” he says with a smile. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like, to be here alone when the buildings kept falling.”

Baekhyun doesn't say anything, just rushes back to Chanyeol’s side looking increasingly nervous, and more timid than ever as they leave, eyes darting around as though afraid something is going to just jump out and attack them before they’ve even left the warehouse.

It isn’t likely though. This planet is all but deserted.

“Don't be so worried, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says when he lays a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder, only for him to flinch at the touch. “We’re all trained in self-defence, rescue and field medicine if it’s needed, so nobody is going to get hurt.” It doesn't seem to settle Baekhyun at all though. “Are you sure you want to do this today?”

Baekhyun nods. “I just need to get out--too small… not enough space…”

Before anybody can even try to stop him Baekhyun takes off, running out of what’s left of the building.

“Our _new friend_ seems a little highly-strung, don't you think?” Yixing asks as he and Jongin come to stand at his side again. “Am I the only one that’s even the slightest bit suspicious about his presence here?”

“What do you mean?” Jongin asks quickly.

Yixing shrugs. “My planet has been destroyed, my people are missing but there’s a _fallen star_ here. It just seems like too many coincidences to me, that’s all.”

“I hope you’re not implying that any of this is Baekhyun’s fault,” Chanyeol says, his voice low in warning.

“No, of course that’s--“

“Can you prove it isn’t?” Yixing interrupts Jongin.

“Be careful, both of you, you heard what Baekhyun said about the buildings,” Chanyeol says strictly, dismissing the argument before it can actually _become_ an argument. “I’m going to go try and question our guest.”

Baekhyun’s body may have healed nicely – much better than Chanyeol expected – but clearly his mind is damaged in some way, most likely from the trauma of falling; he just hopes that whatever Baekhyun has been through, he can put it behind him and be whole again.

Chanyeol is drawn to the beautiful fallen star the way the planets are drawn to the sun. He doesn't understand how or why and right now at least he doesn't really care, but he _does_ know that he wants to help Baekhyun – whatever the reason – and he can’t bring himself to dismiss the _something_ growing between them as nothing.

He soon finds Baekhyun, standing not too far from the warehouse and giving off a strange, soft glow. “Woah, do you usually glow like that?”

“I’m not sure,” Baekhyun says without looking at him. “I’ve never been around another… _being_ before so this is all new to me.”

“How can that be?” Chanyeol blurts before he can stop himself. “Yixing said this place was bustling with people.”

“There was nothing left when I got here,” Baekhyun tells him quietly. “So you and your crew are the first I’ve interacted with.”

“Well… it’s beautiful,” Chanyeol says, noticing the small smile that curves Baekhyun lips as he walks him further from the warehouse in the hope of finding more star fragments.

All he wants is for Baekhyun to feel complete again.

“It’s grass, it won’t hurt you,” Chanyeol says when they walk by a surviving patch of purple grass that Baekhyun looks kind of awed by. “You can touch it, if you want.”

“I can? I’ve been avoiding it because I didn't know if it was dangerous,” Baekhyun says, reaching out when Chanyeol nods, smiling as he tentatively runs his fingers through it a few times.

“It makes my skin feel funny,” Baekhyun says, rubbing his palm where the grass touched.

Chanyeol laughs softly. “I think you mean it tickles.”

“Tickles,” Baekhyun repeats, touching the grass again. “Yes, it tickles.”

Chanyeol notices the way Baekhyun glows a little brighter, and wonders if it’s somehow connected to his emotions now that he’s feeling stronger.

“I’ve been thinking a lot these last few days,” Chanyeol starts as they walk, “and I thought that, if you’re interested, you can help us fix up the ship, learn about how it works properly and stuff and then when we’re ready to leave you could… well you could maybe think about coming with us. The thought of leaving you alone here makes me… uneasy.”

The words are kind of jumbled and rushed, but he knows Baekhyun understands by the surprised look on his face. “Why?”

“Well, I’m sure you don't want to stay on this desolate planet alone. I thought you wanted a place to belong,” Chanyeol says, worried that he’s overstepped somehow. “Don't you?”

Baekhyun looks so sad suddenly, Chanyeol’s heart skips several uncertain beats. “Being left here alone… it’s not like I don’t deserve it.”

“What do you mean?”

Before Baekhyun can answer, he goes completely rigid, and Chanyeol barely manages to ask him what’s wrong before several fragments of broken star come barrelling towards them from across the field of purple stretching as far as the eye can see.

They pierce Baekhyun’s chest again, and he gives an almost primitive cry of agony and stumbles backwards, Chanyeol just managing to grab him before the light he saw before bursts forth once more, so bright he has to shut his eyes against the glare or risk going blind.

For a long while Baekhyun is silent, trembling in Chanyeol’s arms. By the time the light fades enough for Chanyeol to open his eyes again, Baekhyun is paler than he would have thought possible and panting as though he’s struggling to draw breath.

“It’s okay, Baekhyun, you’re okay,” Chanyeol says, pulling him against his chest and cooing at him as though he’s a fragile little bird. “I’ve got you,” he whispers again and again until Baekhyun starts breathing more regularly and his trembling lessens.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun apologises when he can speak. “I’ve never lost a piece of myself this way before, so I didn't know it would have such an effect on the form I have now.”

“Shh, don't apologise,” Chanyeol hushes, trying to ignore the spark he can feel igniting between them whenever they’re close to one another, knowing that Baekhyun probably isn’t ready for anything like that, if he ever will be. “I wish I could stop your pain. I know how much it sucks.”

Baekhyun smiles. “It only hurts for a while.”

“I mean _all_ of your pain, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol corrects him, all but losing himself in the swirling silver of Baekhyun’s eyes. “I want to heal all the broken pieces inside you, so you’ll be complete again.”

“Why would you say that to me?” Baekhyun asks, looking almost tearful.

“Because from the minute we met I’ve hated seeing the way you’ve suffered, I can’t explain it but I can’t deny it either. I’m _drawn_ to you, Baekhyun, and it makes me want to help you heal, help you be _happy_ ,” Chanyeol reveals, reaching out to brush his fingers through the white curls of Baekhyun’s hair. “You’re not the only one that feels the attraction between us. I feel it too, and I want you to belong with us… with _me_ . There’s just something about you that makes me want to see you happy and—dammit, it’s making me soft but I don’t care! When it’s about you, nothing else seems to matter.”

Baekhyun pulls away sharply, as though Chanyeol has struck him, and he sees the tears beginning to spill down Baekhyun’s cheeks. “You should not say those things to me, Chanyeol. I deserve to suffer for what I have done.”

Before Chanyeol can even think what to do or say Baekhyun is running again, away from him like a startled animal.

“Come back, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol shouts after him. “Don't run out on me! I’m sorry!” he shouts as he runs, trying to catch up to him, worried when he can suddenly follow the trail of Baekhyun’s tears because they’re starting to literally fall as the star fragments he’s been collecting. “I didn't mean to hurt you!”

Baekhyun doesn't stop, doesn't even slow down, running straight into an ancient looking structure that instantly makes Chanyeol feel _wrong_ .

Then as if in slow motion, he sees it. The unmistakable white light that can only be fragments of star, illuminating the whole building for seconds that seem stretched by horror into hours as the already unstable structure shudders… and collapses.

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol yells over the crumbling of stone that has the ground shaking as though the planet may split beneath his feet. “BAEKHYUN!” he screams, but the fallen star doesn't call back to him.

Chanyeol is just screaming his name into the destruction.

*****


	2. Two.

*****

    The howls of fright that spills from Baekhyun’s lips as the building he ran into – against Chanyeol’s orders – comes crashing down around him in a blur of blinding light and crumbling stone are unlike any sound he’s ever made before; he had no idea he could sound so… _terrified_ .

White-hot pain surges over his body like the ocean over a house built too close to the cliff edge, and Baekhyun is soon trapped beneath the ruins, only avoiding being crushed completely because pieces of the structure collapse into each other and create a tiny, suffocating cave.

He had no idea that pieces of his broken heart were inside the building, didn’t know what would happen when they bolted towards him so fast he could barely see them as they hurtled into what looked like a big block in the centre of the structure. Then it seemed like the whole world just splintered and tumbled down around him.

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol!” he cries over and over, panicked and unable to breathe properly he doesn't know what else to do. “Please find me,” he begs tearfully, “Please…”

Like all stars, Baekhyun is strong, but the adjustment to his new form coupled with the mounting terror of being in such an enclosed space has him feeling dizzy and weak, unable to even think straight much less move what seems like a mountain above him.

After a while, Baekhyun begins to feel tired, like even the weight of his own body is too much for him. He’s trembling with fear and cold, but no longer has the strength to cry out.

“Baekhyun, where are you?!”

_Chanyeol_ .

“He’s here,” Baekhyun mumbles to himself. “Chanyeol came for me.”

“Chanyeol, I’m down here!” Baekhyun calls, his voice is weak but he keeps calling out anyway, knowing that Chanyeol will save him just like he did before.

Baekhyun can hear rubble being hauled away, the crackling and crumbling of the ruins around him. He’s so so frightened but the sound of Chanyeol’s voice calling _hold on Baekhyun, I’m coming for you_ comforts him somewhat.

He's never been trapped before, even the medical contraption Chanyeol put him in never felt this way, never made him feel as suffocated as he does now. Baekhyun has always lived in endless space, has never had anything to fear but now in this place _everything_ is new, harsh, and confusing.

Here, Baekhyun is afraid of _everything_ .

It seems an entire age passes until Baekhyun sees light again, but he _does_ see it, because Chanyeol is pulling huge chunks of building out of the way to create a path to him.

The sight makes Baekhyun cry again.

“Don't cry, my little starlight,” Chanyeol soothes as he makes his way to him. “We’re almost there.”

Baekhyun doesn't understand why Chanyeol called him starlight instead of his name, but it helps him settle and breathe easier as he watches Chanyeol haul large boulders away and throw them aside like they weigh nothing, cutting up his palms, knuckles and forearms in the process.

In no time at all, Baekhyun is in Chanyeol’s arms again, being lifted from what’s left of the collapsed building, clinging to him tightly and crying again when Chanyeol stumbles as he tries to evade pieces of still crumbling structure and comfort him at the same time.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shouts when something crashes almost too close to them, Chanyeol falls but he never lets him go even for a second as he gets back to his feet and all but runs out of the debris. “Keep hold of me, starlight. Close your eyes,” he tells him gently.

Baekhyun simply does as he’s told.

Once back outside, Chanyeol takes them out of range of the collapsing building and to safety, setting Baekhyun down before all but collapsing onto the dusty ground beneath them.

Legs too weak to stand, Baekhyun crawls to Chanyeol’s side, crying out when his hands press into the sticky pool of red now spreading out from beneath Chanyeol. Red, so much red everywhere--Baekhyun has never had blood on his hands before.

“When did you get hurt? I didn't see--“ Baekhyun rambles, voice trembling as much as his body. “What do I do Chanyeol? Tell me what to do to fix you like you fixed me.”

“Just stay with me this time, okay? Don’t go running off again. I didn’t know stars could sprint.” Chanyeol asks quietly, and Baekhyun nods so hard he makes himself a little dizzy.

“I will not leave your side again unless you order me to,” Baekhyun promises, and Chanyeol laughs, wincing in pain when a coughing fit takes control of his body.

Watching as Chanyeol taps a black box shaped object on his wrist, Baekhyun jumps in surprise when a female appears out of Chanyeol’s arm.

“Baekhyun, this is _Astra_ ,” Chanyeol introduces him, “the ship’s computer.” He turns back to the image. “ _Astra,_ establish a connection to the main ship.”

“What will that do?” Baekhyun asks. “Will it help stop your pain?”

Chanyeol smiles. “We’ve been working on repairing our communications system, so hopefully it’ll pick up _Astra’s_ signal.”

Silence falls then, stretches on so long Chanyeol is all but unconscious and Baekhyun doesn't know what he’s supposed to do. “Don’t close your eyes, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun pleads, tears spilling endlessly down his cheeks as he presses his hands against the crimson spilling from Chanyeol’s abdomen beneath his uniform wishing for it just disappear. “Please don't leave me.”

“Chanyeol? Chanyeol we picked up a signal from _Astra_ , is everything okay?”

The sound of Jongin’s voice startles Baekhyun, and his heart starts to pound wildly when Chanyeol tries to speak but can’t seem to even focus properly.

“Jongin! Jongin are you still there?” Baekhyun shouts at the box Chanyeol calls _Astra_ , voice frantic.

“I’m here, Baekhyun, what’s going on? Where’s Chanyeol?”

“He’s here with me, a building collapsed and he’s wounded, Jongin… I don’t know how but--“ a strange choked sound escapes his lips. “There’s blood, Jongin, so much blood and I don't know what to do!”

A moment of quiet, and then Jongin’s voice again. “Okay, Baekhyun, I need you to stay calm and tell me where you are.”

“I don't know where we are!” Baekhyun cries helplessly. “I don’t know _anything!_ ”

“Baekhyun, it’s alright, listen to me.” Jongin sounds surprisingly calm. “Just tell _Astra_ to send your co-ordinates to the main ship. Can you do that for me?”

Baekhyun nods even though Jongin can’t see him, and repeats the instruction perfectly.

“I’ve got your position, Baekhyun, you did it! Now stay with Chanyeol, okay? We’re coming for you.”

“Please come quickly,” Baekhyun whispers, and then Jongin is gone.

“You’re being very brave. Braver than I could be. ” Chanyeol rasps, eyes fluttering open. “I’m proud of you.”

“I don't feel brave,” Baekhyun sniffles. “I feel wrong inside… like I might vomit. This is my fault Chanyeol… All of this is my fault.”

“Hey, no. This isn’t your fault, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol pulls him down and into his arms gently. “None of this is your fault, you hear me?”

“But it _is_ ,” Baekhyun cries, more star fragments falling in his tears. “You don’t understand what I’ve done.”

“Then explain it to me.”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath, knowing he can hide the truth no longer. “When I fell, _this_ was the planet I crashed into. _I’m_ the one who destroyed this beautiful place and drove the inhabitants away. _Me_ .”

“Why are bits of star still falling away from you?” Chanyeol asks, the question an unexpected one.

“They’re pieces of my heart,” Baekhyun admits quietly. “It’s breaking because of what I’ve done -- to this place… To you.” Another sob, another deep breath. “Each time a piece comes back to me I feel that pain all over again.”

“Ssh, starlight,” Chanyeol hushes him, reaching out with a shaky hand to wipe his glittering tears. “Don't let your heart break over me. I’ll be fine. Trust me, I’ve been in much worse situations than this. I can’t think of any right now, but I have. Most of the time I only just avoid becoming space toast.”

“You’re the strangest creature I’ve ever met.”

Chanyeol manages a soft, pained laugh. “I’m one of the _only_ creatures you’ve ever met, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“You should,” Baekhyun almost whispers.

“I need you to talk to me, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol tells him between more coughing, “You need to keep me awake.”

“About what?”

“Anything. Tell me how you fell.”

Baekhyun sighs. “It was a supernova,” he says, swallowing the pain to tell the story. “When a star dies, it explodes, and the blast I was caught in knocked countless others out of orbit too. I burned up, Chanyeol. I burned up and hurtled towards the nearest planet -- _this_ planet. My outer shell, my previous form stripped away from me, leaving me like this and destroying the planet’s surface with the heat and force I hit it with.”

He pauses briefly to wipe his tears. “I never meant for any of this to happen but I couldn't stop, couldn't even slow down. There are probably hundreds of stars that didn't survive their fall, I’m probably lucky, but looking at the destruction I’ve caused I don't feel it. I should have ended like the others.”

“Baekhyun, no--“

“ _Yes_ I should,” Baekhyun interrupts. “If I had then you wouldn't be like this right now and my heart wouldn't be breaking all over again.”

“I’m going to heal your heart, starlight,” Chanyeol promises, wiping his tears once more. “None of this is your fault. You can’t help being blasted out of the sky, can’t control how hot it gets during atmospheric entry. I understand how you must feel, how frightened and homesick you must be but you’re not alone anymore and it _will_ get better.”

Baekhyun presses a palm gently against Chanyeol’s chest, smiling when he holds it against him. “Why do you keep calling me starlight?” he asks the question that’s burning inside him. “Do you not like my name?”

Though obviously in pain, Chanyeol laughs again. “No, I think you have a beautiful name, Baekhyun. I don't know why I’ve started calling you starlight. It’s like a nickname I suppose.”

“A nickname?” Baekhyun frowns. “What is a nickname?”

“It’s an endearment, for somebody you care about,” Chanyeol explains. “Like sweetheart or darling, something like that.”

“So… I can be your starlight?” Baekhyun asks shyly.

“You already are, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers fondly. “You already are.”

“Is this because of attraction?” Baekhyun questions, hoping he’s not saying something wrong or misunderstanding. “Is that what it feels like for you?”

Chanyeol nods. “And now I would like to know what it feels like for you. Physically you’ve already told me. You feel hot and sweaty, you feel like you can’t breathe and you tremble when you’re not cold. I know you’ve said you feel _nervous_ , but emotionally… in your _mind_ , how do you feel, Baekhyun?”

“I don't… I don't think I understand.”

“I know all about attraction and love, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol admits. “I know how scary and hurtful it can be sometimes, but it can also be incredibly beautiful. It can make somebody feel _complete_ .”

“Everything is new to me, Chanyeol. This place, the things I feel, even my own body seems like a frightening new home to live in sometimes.” Baekhyun tries his best to explain things that are still so confusing even to him. “I don't really understand any of this yet, but I want to, I want to know more about attraction and learn all about love but… I only want to learn about those things with you and being with you makes me feel more _whole_ again. Every time you kiss me… the pain isn’t so crippling. Is that okay? Did I explain how I feel?”

Chanyeol’s reply is the soft press of his lips against Baekhyun’s, and the way that one kiss makes Baekhyun feel has him believing that one person really can heal all the broken pieces inside of another, if that person is the _right_ one.

He lets Chanyeol control the kiss, sighing softly when their kisses grow deeper, until the sound of somebody shouting has Baekhyun pulling away feeling hot all over.

“So we rush all the way out here thinking you’re both dying or something and find you making out,” Yixing exclaims. “Typical.”

Chanyeol laughs but is soon overcome by another coughing fit that this time has him retching and bringing up a little blood. “I was just looking for a good time,” he manages to croak.

“Well it looks to me like you’ve had a little _too much_ fun,” Jongin chuckles, though the worried frown on his face deepens as they assess Chanyeol’s wounds. “What the hell happened?”

“The building fell. I must have caught a broken metal rod or something on the way back out,” Chanyeol fills him in. “Didn't know I was bleeding until I was out here on the ground.”

There’s that sick feeling again, swirling in Baekhyun’s stomach when he sees the look that passes between Jongin and Yixing; it’s a look that tells him Chanyeol is more wounded than he’s letting on.

Standing back, Baekhyun watches the crewmembers lift Chanyeol up and lay him on a strange flat surface, panicking again when blood spills onto the floor.

“What is that thing?” Baekhyun asks when Chanyeol groans in pain. “Why is it hurting him?”

“It’s a medical stretcher, it’s just what we use to carry somebody on when they’re injured in some way,” Jongin explains kindly. “I promise it isn’t causing him any pain.”

“No _you_ already did that,” Yixing snaps.

“Yixing don't speak to Baekhyun like that,” Chanyeol orders. “It isn’t true and he was hurt in the collapse too.”

It’s nice, hearing Chanyeol defend him, but Baekhyun knows he more than deserves Yixing’s contempt. If he had listened to Chanyeol’s order to stay away from the building then none of this would be happening.

“I’m already starting to heal,” Baekhyun observes sombrely. “If I understand myself a little better now then in theory I cannot be killed by materials from a planet’s surface, only intense heat can cause the death of a star, even a fallen one like me.”

“You could have mentioned that before Chanyeol almost _killed himself_ trying to save you,” Yixing growls, so angry Baekhyun flinches away from him.

“ _Enough_ ,” Chanyeol demands. “Just get us back to the damned ship.”

Baekhyun follows behind, silent and obedient, trying desperately to keep from crying because he doesn't want to anger the others any more than he already has. He doesn't understand anything anymore, not what’s happening to him or why he’s experiencing all these strange _feelings_ all at once.

He's terrified for Chanyeol, angry with himself and confused all over again because he doesn't know how he feels about _any_ of this. He just knows that he’s nervous of being around the crew again and he hates it because he just _doesn't understand_ .

Baekhyun should have just burned out like so many of his brothers and sisters, _wishes_ he had fallen down down down through space until there was nothing left of him but dust. Then none of this would have happened. Nobody would be hurt, or angry, and this planet would still be the beautiful place it once was.

_But then you would never have met Chanyeol_ , a voice in the back of Baekhyun’s mind tells him, and the way he feels right now, if he understands any of this new existence at all.

Baekhyun isn’t sure he can live without him now.

*****

    Chanyeol wakes with a sore body and a pounding head, to discover that not only is he in the medical bay, but Baekhyun is sitting at his bedside without a mark on him.

“You really do heal fast,” he says quietly, startling Baekhyun, who clearly wasn't expecting him to be awake.

The relieved look on Baekhyun’s face makes Chanyeol feel warm – feel _hopeful –_ inside, but before he can say anything else his starlight is kissing him, soft and slow and perfect.

“I should get wounded more often if this is the treatment I’ll get when I wake up,” Chanyeol laughs, wincing slightly when the motion makes his body ache.

“Don't say things like that, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun scolds him between kisses. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been… how _sorry_ I am for causing you pain.”

Chanyeol pulls away first. “It’s not your fault, Baekhyun,” he tells him firmly. “How long was I asleep?”

“Night fell three times while you were gone,” Baekhyun says, and his unique way of explaining things makes Chanyeol smile.

Glancing around the room, Chanyeol gasps when he takes in the sight of all the fragments of star scattered everywhere and glittering like precious gems. “What’s all this?”

“My heart keeps breaking. I know you told me not to and I’ve been trying but I can't seem to stop it and--“

Chanyeol silences Baekhyun’s rambling with a soft kiss.

“It’s alright, starlight,” Chanyeol hushes him. “I’m not angry with you, not for what happened to me or to this planet. It wasn't your fault and somehow I’ll prove that to you.”

He has to close his eyes when the fragments rejoin Baekhyun’s body again, but the bright light soon fades to a soft, warm glow that Chanyeol secretly wonders if it’s just for him.

“What do you mean?” Yixing’s voice asks from the doorway, shattering the calm that had blanketed the room. “What happened to this planet?”

Baekhyun looks almost paralyzed with fear, and Chanyeol grips his hand tightly in the hope that it will comfort him through the confrontation that he knows is about to explode.

“When Baekhyun fell, this planet is what broke his fall,” Chanyeol explains when words fail Baekhyun completely. “His crashing here is what caused the destruction.”

“I knew it!” Yixing shouts, temper exploding before Chanyeol can even begin to explain about the supernova. “I knew this _star_ had destroyed my planet! Why the hell are you trying to help the thing that obliterated my _home_ and murdered my _people_ ?”

“I… I didn't kill your p-people, Yixing…” Baekhyun stammers, shaking beneath the weight of fear and hurt but forcing himself to speak. “I couldn't control it, not where I fell or how, the people of Eurydome left after I crashed into where that crater is now.” He stands up to take a few tentative steps towards Yixing. “I n-never meant for _any_ of this to happen--I’m so _sorry!_ ”

A frightened yelp spills from Baekhyun’s lips when Yixing forcefully grabs him by the shoulders and slams him against the nearest wall. “Your apologies are meaningless to me,” he snaps, holding him still, “and if you knew what was good for you, you would leave this place, and us, _alone_ . Find a way to make yourself burn the way you should have when you fell or _I_ will.”

“Yixing stop, now,” Chanyeol orders, unable to just sit and watch, he ignores the pain that shoots through his body to yank Yixing’s arm away from where it’s now pressing on Baekhyun’s chest. “I said, _stop_ ! That’s enough!”

Yixing lets Baekhyun go to round on him. “Don't you _dare_ tell me when things are enough when there is nothing left of my planet, life the way it was is gone forever because of your fucking _boyfriend!_ ”

“I’m so sorry,” Baekhyun chokes out before running from the room, his heart visibly breaking as he goes.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Chanyeol yells, truly angry with his engineer for the first time. “You have no idea what it was like for Baekhyun--none of us do! How the hell could we?! So stop being such a fucking asshole and _listen_ to him!”

“No, _you’re_ the one who has no idea, who doesn't understand a damned thing anymore because you can’t _see anything_ beyond that damned star!” Yixing counters, never one to back down. “Don't you think it’s just a little strange that you haven’t been interested in a relationship for _years_ but then this _thing_ shows up in our lives and suddenly you can’t go five minutes without it?”

“Call him that again and you’ll be so very sorry,” Chanyeol warns, anger flaring through his body.

“Chanyeol, you barely _know_ him! You have no idea what kind of creature Baekhyun really is.”

“You’re wrong--“

“Am I?”

“ _Yes_ . I do know Baekhyun, and you want to know what else?” Chanyeol asks but doesn't wait for a response. “Those star fragments we’ve been finding since the day we crashed here, those are pieces of _my_ star’s broken fucking heart, the pieces of himself that he’s lost because of how guilty he feels for what he’s done, for what happened to me when none of this is his fault!”

Yixing falls quiet then, clearly not knowing what to say to that.

“Not once have I questioned or reprimanded you for your relationship with Jongin when you both _know_ it’s against protocol, you could both lose your jobs as well as your NSF honours and privileges.”

“Don’t threaten me, Chanyeol.”

“I’m not threatening anybody, merely stating facts,” Chanyeol insists. “I wouldn't dream of trying to ruin anybody’s relationship whether I approve of it or not. I’m actually pleased that you and Jongin are so happy together.”

“Chanyeol--“ Yixing starts, his face suddenly a picture of guilt.

“I’m tired,” Chanyeol says before he can say more. “I’d like to be left alone.”

“I’m just worried about you, that’s all, and I want you to be careful,” Yixing replies. “It’s not like you to lose your head like this.”

“It’s not my head I’ve lost Yixing, it’s my heart,” Chanyeol sighs, “and I know what I’m doing.”

He ignores Yixing’s whispered _I hope so_ as he leaves, and doesn't even hear the door slide shut before sleep is pulling him under and he’s gone once more.

  
Chanyeol has no idea how long he slept for, but the sound of Baekhyun’s melodious voice as he wakes has him smiling before he’s even opened his eyes. He only refrains from turning over and greeting him when he here’s Jongin’s voice too. It makes him wonder why his co-pilot is with Baekhyun instead of Yixing.

He knows he shouldn't eavesdrop on their conversation, knows he should let them know that he’s awake, but curiosity wins out, and Chanyeol remains still and quiet, listening.

“You really should go and eat something, Baekhyun,” Jongin is saying. “Chanyeol is over the worst now, but I’ll come and find you if he needs you.”

“I’m not leaving him. Not again,” Baekhyun says, sounding resolute, determined. “Not unless he sends me away.”

“Baekhyun, I have to ask you, what exactly _is_ your relationship with Chanyeol?” Jongin asks, and Chanyeol finds his breath catching in his chest as he awaits the answer.

“What is a relationship?” is Baekhyun’s response, and it makes Chanyeol smile to himself.

“It’s like me and Yixing, we love one another very much,” Jongin explains patiently, “and so we stay together even though it’s forbidden in the NSF to be with somebody you work with.”

“What do you mean by forbidden?”

Chanyeol hears the horrified gasp Baekhyun gives when Jongin explains that it means they’re not allowed to be together.

“Yixing and I could get into a lot of trouble, and get Chanyeol into trouble too if we got caught,” Jongin tells him. “I have no idea how long Chanyeol has suspected our relationship, but he’s never tried to separate us, even though it puts his own career at risk. He’s a very valuable friend.”

“How do you feel, when you’re with Yixing?” Baekhyun asks, clearly trying to understand, Chanyeol can even imagine the little wrinkles that appear on his forehead whenever he frowns in confusion or concentration.

“It’s like…” Jongin pauses for a moment, searching for the right words, “It’s like I’m burning up in a desert on the outskirts of this planet and like I’m freezing in the ice lakes back on my home world at the same time. Love is everything all at once, Baekhyun, confusing and scary at times, but also indescribably wonderful, full of passion and at the same time serenity. At this point I’d hate to be without Yixing even for a day.”

Chanyeol had no idea Jongin and Yixing felt so strongly for one another, and swears he feels his own heart stop when Baekhyun makes a quiet, shy admission of his own.

“I think I understand, and I think it’s the same for me too, with Chanyeol. There’s so much I don’t understand here, everything is new and frightening but… well, I don't think I could survive without him now.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” Jongin asks. “Being so close with him before you really understand yourself and your feelings?”

Chanyeol can almost feel Baekhyun’s confusion when he asks _what do you mean?_ He hears Jongin explain that he doesn't want Baekhyun to hurt him, that he’s already suffered so much hardship in his life in years gone by, he deserves to have some peace now.

Like peace was ever likely in his line of work.

Of course Baekhyun asks what suffering he’s talking about, but Jongin simply tells him that it’s all in the past now, that it’s something _he_ should tell him. Jongin never was one to spill the secrets of others.

“Do you think I’m going to hurt him again?” Baekhyun asks, and the tremble in his voice makes Chanyeol want to reach out and comfort him.

“Right now I don't know what to think,” Jongin answers honestly. “You and Chanyeol barely know each other, and this is all happening so fast, but sometimes…Well, sometimes that works out just fine. I’m just concerned that you don't know what you’re getting yourself into, none of us know how dangerous you really are but after all--“ he pauses as though wondering whether to continue. “You did cause all the destruction here, that we can’t deny.”

Chanyeol wishes Jongin had just stopped talking.

Silence. It falls for a moment, blanketing the room in an eerie, unsettled quiet. Baekhyun doesn't speak, but instead bursts into tears that instantly break Chanyeol’s heart. He opens his eyes to see those glittering fragments again, this time though they don't merely glitter. They explode.

“Take cover!” Chanyeol yells, swallowing the pain searing through his body as he jumps up, watching as Yixing enters the room to see what all the noise is only to have to throw himself behind the med-droid out of range, grabbing Jongin as he goes.

Chanyeol can’t quite believe what he’s seeing, can’t believe that the pieces of Baekhyun’s fracturing heart can actually pierce the ship, but then he notices the smouldering holes in the metal and realises that it’s pieces of _Baekhyun_ burning up, not just his heart.

“Baekhyun--“ Chanyeol starts, moving to try and comfort him in some way, to soothe him the way he’s done before, but all Baekhyun does is step further away from him.

“You don't understand anything! Not one of you know what it’s been like for me! How _hard_ it’s been!” Baekhyun all but screams at them, tears a constant stream down his beautiful face. “You don’t know what it feels like to have your body burn up at thousands of degrees, you’ve never felt the pain, the fear of the fall or the loneliness and _guilt_ that follows it.” He wipes his face hard with the back of his hand but still the tears keep coming. “I can feel souls, did you know that? I felt every single soul that was on this planet when I fell -- felt the pain, the anger and the fear they felt, the same as I felt your souls when you crashed here too.”

“Baekhyun please, I need you to try and calm down,” Chanyeol tries. “Please, starlight…”

Even the endearment doesn't settle him, if anything it only makes him more upset.

“I lost everything that day. _Everything_ , and I know you’ve all suffered loss but I’ve lost too. Nothing is going to bring back anything I hold dear. Never again can I go home. I’m stuck in a form where I will eventually wither away until there’s nothing left of me,” Baekhyun sobs brokenly. “I hate that I’m so confused and afraid every minute of every day, I hate that I can’t just _fit in_ the way you all so obviously do. It’s like everything I touch turns to ashes in my hands and I can’t stand it any more, it’s suffocating me and I can’t breathe… I feel like I can’t _breathe_ . Do you have any idea what that’s like? You don’t! How could you? But I’ll show you. I’ll make you feel what I’ve had to feel.”

For the first time since they found Baekhyun, Chanyeol feels genuinely afraid for all of them when Baekhyun cries out in heart-wrenching pain, clutching his head and doubling over. Chanyeol automatically wants to go to him, but is stopped by a blinding white light that’s familiar until it isn’t, until his own mind is full of nothing but an image of the night sky.

No, not the night sky; space.

He’s seeing the universe the way Baekhyun has seen it for an eternity.

He sees the star go supernova just the way Baekhyun said it had, but it’s more than that. Chanyeol can _feel_ it, can feel the terror that rings out across the cosmos from nearby stars that are immediately destroyed in the violent explosion, screaming as they burn up until there’s nothing left to create that gut wrenching sound.

In this moment, time has no meaning to Chanyeol, but he’s suddenly terrified that he’s running out of it, caught in the blast he’s flying through space, out of the orbit he’s always known and the last thing he hears before he begins to tumble endlessly down is the soul of an old friend whispering _I’m sorry_ .

The pain that follows is unlike anything that Chanyeol has ever experienced. It’s as emotional as it is physical, as though he’s on fire but yet not burning. All he can see is space, endless black hurtling past him as the terror inside mounts until it threatens to consume him completely.

Chanyeol feels everything that happened to Baekhyun as though it’s happening to him now, and he’s burning up inside as he plummets through Eurydome’s atmosphere, barely slowing down until surface impact breaks his fall and destroys a devastating proportion of the planet with the shockwaves that follow.

His heart is breaking, the shattering so deep, so absolute he wonders if the echoing pain is no longer just Baekhyun’s, but his own too.

“I hate it here!” Baekhyun’s voice cries, shattering the images in much the same way as his memories have shattered Chanyeol’s heart. “I don’t understand _anything_ here and I don't want to have any of these feelings. I’m not supposed to _feel_ , I’m not supposed to do anything but observe life for eternity and now it’s all gone,” he sobs weakly. “It’s all gone…”

“Baekhyun--“ Chanyeol tries again, taking a tentative step towards his trembling form.

Baekhyun shakes his head. “It’s gone but it isn’t over… I just want it to be over,” he rambles, shutting Chanyeol out completely, brushing away his tears as a strange calm falls over his beautiful face. “But I know how to end it… How to make it stop hurting forever.”

He’s running from the room before Chanyeol can grab him, and though still in agony from both his injuries and whatever the hell Baekhyun just did he knows he has to follow him, knows something terrible will happen if he doesn't.

“Did you see that too?” Chanyeol asks his crewmembers who are still cowering away as though afraid the onslaught of terror will begin again. “Well I hope you’re both satisfied,” he snaps when they both nod. “You hurt Baekhyun so badly when he doesn't deserve it and probably ruined the closest thing to happiness I’ve felt in years!”

Jongin opens his mouth to say something, but Chanyeol speaks again before he can utter a single word. “No, Jongin, like you told Baekhyun when you thought I was sleeping, I’ve risked my career for the two of you to stay together even though it’s all I have, and what do you give me in return? You tear my relationship apart before I’ve even had chance to see what it might become.”

“Chanyeol, please, we didn’t know--“

“If anything happens to Baekhyun,” Chanyeol interrupts, “I’ll never forgive either of you. And you’ll find yourselves a new captain because I’m out.”

“I’m so sorry,” Yixing sobs. “I had no idea but now… now I feel like my heart is breaking.”

“It’s not your heart, Yixing. It’s Baekhyun’s, and if I know my star the way I think I do, then this planet, with all of us on it, is going to be no more than space dust if I don't get to him fast.”

Jongin stands up, pulling Yixing with him. “What can we do?”

“I think you’ve done enough,” Chanyeol says as he pulls on his clothes as fast as he can.

“Chanyeol, you have to let us help,” Yixing almost begs. “We’re truly sorry for what we’ve done but we were just trying to protect you.”

Deep down inside, Chanyeol knows this. “Then save Baekhyun,” Chanyeol sighs. “Think of a way to convince him _not_ to destroy himself, that we want--that we _need_ him to stay here with us.”

Grabbing a newly fixed tracker and com-link, Chanyeol instructs the others to do the same as he sets off after Baekhyun as quickly as his weakened body will allow, hoping against hope that he’ll find him before it’s too late.

Chanyeol doesn't know how he knows, but he believes the fracture in his soul and the splinters in his heart that tell him that Baekhyun is going to force himself into some kind of terrifying supernova suicide, and he can’t let that happen.

He won’t.

This undeniable _pull_ he feels towards Baekhyun – beautiful, beautiful Baekhyun with his skin that glows like white fire, eyes of impossible silver and his heart that still loves despite being broken – isn’t just attraction, it’s a soul deep _bond_ .

Baekhyun is Chanyeol’s _one_ . The one he hasn't even known was missing from his life until he first laid eyes on him. In that moment, part of Chanyeol loved Baekhyun immediately, if only he had recognised it then for what it was, perhaps Baekhyun’s hurt would no longer run so deep and they wouldn't all be in danger.

Chanyeol will _not_ lose him to something that was never his fault.

Star fragments. Chanyeol sees them everywhere he looks, forming an obvious trail for him to follow but this time they’re not glittering like diamonds, they’re burning like fractured balls of fire, singeing the ground and the purple grass around him and leading a charred pathway away from what’s left of the dwellings and out onto the desert plains that lay beyond.

Letting instinct guide him, Chanyeol realises that he didn't need to see Baekhyun’s fall, or follow the trail of a broken, burning heart to know where the star is going; he already knows.

“Get your asses into gear and meet me at my co-ordinates,” Chanyeol barks into the com-link, breaking into a run over the small area of still surviving grasslands and across the nothing that follows.

Baekhyun can move faster than he realised, but already Chanyeol can see his unmistakable glow, only now it’s not the ethereal white he’s familiar with and strangely fond of. It’s a strange shade of reddish orange… It’s _wrong_ . Chanyeol knows what the life cycle of a star is, learned years ago how a supernova works, and he knows that red is a bad sign because it can only mean one thing.

He’s running out of time.

*****

    Emotions are cruel. They’re relentless and unforgiving in the way they choke hold your heart and consume your every thought until your mind can no longer think of anything but the pain you’re in. Baekhyun has seen it many times in his life, the sometimes-catastrophic events that have been start with an emotion, like love -- the weakness of the mortal heart.

Only Baekhyun isn’t mortal, or at least he _wasn't_ , and his heart shouldn't be breaking because he shouldn’t _have_ one, not in this way at least. Yet here he is, standing in the crater carved into the planet by his own body, wondering why his heart is racing so hard he fears it may well burst through his chest and run away from him. Perhaps it will hide in one of the dilapidated buildings until it too eventually withers and dies like everything else on this planet, thanks to him.

Perhaps he should be envious of his heart that is so easily broken, so easily destroyed as it shatters into burning fragments all around him until he can barely see beyond them.

Jongin and Yixing detest him now, no longer want him anywhere near Chanyeol – perhaps they secretly never did – when Chanyeol is the only one that makes Baekhyun’s new existence something other than horrifying.

But now he’s lost that, too.

A star isn’t meant to feel anything, a star is meant to observe life and create light for that life to continue. In all of his thousands of years of celestial existence Baekhyun has never experienced anything like this and now he’s all but overloading. But not for much longer, because although he may not know how to rid himself of mortal weakness, of _feeling_ , he knows how to erase himself, the heat of his core already threatening to burn him up from the inside can testify to that.

In another form now he may be, but Baekhyun can still die like any other star, and so die he will. He has nothing left to exist for. His darkest secret has come to light and just as he feared, he’s been outcast for it despite it being something completely out of his control; Baekhyun can’t even be with Chanyeol anymore.

Chanyeol is _forbidden_ .

Gazing out over the horizon as his core continues to burn, Baekhyun slowly lets his eyes fall to his skin, watching the way his skin begins to change colour from pale and smooth to an angry, blistering red that only deepens as the minutes go by.

For so long, time held no meaning to a being such as Baekhyun, but now he’s counting every painful, burning second, wondering why the mortal world would tie itself to something that only tells you just how long you’ve been hurting, how long you’ve been wishing it would stop.

_He’s here_ .

Baekhyun feels Chanyeol’s soul long before he sees him, and though his fracturing heart wants to swell with joy that he’s here, Baekhyun knows that this will change nothing. Chanyeol isn’t going to save him this time; nothing can save him now.

“Baekhyun don’t you dare do this!” Chanyeol shouts over the roar of the flames that Baekhyun knows nobody else can see. “Don't give up before you’ve had a real chance to experience how amazing this life can be! Don’t do this Baekhyun, please!”

“You’re wrong, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun objects. “All this life does is hurt. All it does is spill the blood of those who don't deserve it. Don't come any closer,” he orders when Chanyeol moves towards him. “I know you can’t stand the heat. Nothing can.”

“I’ve been a soldier most of my life, I’m no stranger to fighting, to risking my life for what I care about and believe in,” Chanyeol says resolutely. “I’m not about to change the habit of a lifetime now.”

Baekhyun looks at him properly for the first time. “You’re a fool if you think you can stop a supernova.”

He’s crying and his tears are evaporating into the air because of the heat now shimmering all around him, but still Chanyeol comes closer. Baekhyun can see it, the way Chanyeol’s flesh burns, peeling into angry blisters across his throat and down his legs, he’s struggling to keep moving but nothing Baekhyun says to him will turn him away.

“You’re going to kill yourself.”

“If you’re really going to do this Baekhyun,” Chanyeol fights to speak through gritted teeth, “then we’re all going to die anyway, so I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay right here with you.”

“But _why_ ?” Baekhyun cries, more confused than ever because he just doesn't _understand_ .

“ Because you’re not the only one who fell. Because you’re not the only one who is scared of what happens next,” Chanyeol bawls, tears on his own burning face. “I’ve been falling too Baekhyun, falling in love with you since the first time I saw you. I didn't understand it then, and even though I do now it’s still the most terrifying thing I’ve ever felt but here I am anyway,“ he manages a short laugh, “walking through fire to prove how much you mean to me.”

“After all I’ve done how can you even tolerate the sight of me?” Baekhyun asks, wanting so desperately to believe Chanyeol but not daring to even hope that what he says is true.

That despite everything, he _does_ love him, in ways Baekhyun hasn't even known he could be loved until now.

“It wasn't your fault, Baekhyun. I told you that before I saw it -- _felt_ it the way you did,” Chanyeol says, struggling against the heat, the fire that’s threatening to consume them both. “I’ve lost so many people that I love, please don't make me have to lose another. I lost my father in the line of duty and many friends to war who weren’t even soldiers; I even lost a Nixian lover too, once upon a time, suicide.”

“Chanyeol--“

“I couldn't save them, any of them,” Chanyeol interrupts. “I’m a soldier and I couldn't save those I loved most, so please, starlight… please don't let me lose you too.”

“It’s too late, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun cries. “Why can’t you just let me go?”

“Because I _love_ you!” Chanyeol shouts, tears on his own face. “And if I can’t make you see -- make you _understand_ just how much that means I need you here, if I’m going to die today then I want it to be right here with you. For whatever time I have left, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”

Baekhyun begins to cry harder still, and though his tears keep evaporating the star fragments already around him start to vibrate, hovering in the air as his skin darkens into an even deeper shade of red.

“I don't know what to do, how to live. Not when I feel like this,” Baekhyun says, voice shaking, as he speaks. “ _I don't know what to do!_ ”

“It won’t always feel like this, I promise you, and if you can just focus on how much I love you, how important you are to the universe around you then you’ll see all the beautiful things that come out of that love,” Chanyeol tells him, desperate as he sinks to his knees in obvious pain, covered in blood and panting harshly. “Life doesn't have to hurt, starlight. It can make you happy… _I_ can make you happy, if you just give me the chance.”

Fear is coiling around Baekhyun’s already burning insides again, squeezing tightly like a serpent of fire, but this time it’s not just fear of the unknown, but the fear of losing Chanyeol too, of destroying the only creature that’s ever made him feel anything close to that they call love.

“I don't know how to stop, Chanyeol! How do I stop?” Baekhyun pleads, looking to him for answers neither of them have. “How can I help this planet even if I do? I’m created for destruction…”

“No, you’re not,” Chanyeol declares, the words quiet but firm. “You’re here to _heal,_ starlight, not destroy. I know this because you’ve healed my heart when I thought it split in two by loss years ago.”

“But how can I stay with you when Yixing and Jongin hate me so much?”

“We don’t hate you, Baekhyun,” Jongin’s voice says out of seemingly nowhere, and Baekhyun watches the way he and Yixing quickly take in the scene unfolding before them, rushing to Chanyeol and drag him backwards away from the blistering heat.

Chanyeol is too weak to put up much of a fight against it, but his amethyst eyes blaze a violet fire of protest.

“We misunderstood you,” Yixing joins in, already doing what he can to help Chanyeol with the medical supplies he’s brought with him, though Baekhyun doesn't know what most of them are or what they do. “But we understand now, and others will too. You don't have to do this. Instead you can come with us, we can all travel to other planets together and gather all the things we’ll need to help this planet start over.”

“I can’t… it’s too much…”

“You _can_ ,” Jongin urges. “Do you remember asking me how I feel about Yixing? Well I’m asking you now, how do you feel when you’re with Chanyeol?” he asks when Baekhyun nods. “How have you felt when he’s been trying to heal your broken heart?”

Baekhyun hesitates only for a second before answering, “The closer I get to him the closer I want to be to him. Even though I’m broken into pieces… Chanyeol makes me feel whole.”

“Then calm down for me, starlight,” Chanyeol croaks before Jongin can say any more. “Calm down and give me the chance to love you the way you deserve.”

Baekhyun is afraid for Chanyeol, afraid for them all, and when he sees Chanyeol struggling to stay conscious he closes his eyes, the whispers of _I’m sorry_ and _I love you too_ barely surviving their journey through the heat still crackling all around him.

He can almost feel the way his words have Chanyeol’s soul splitting, and Baekhyun knows that though this feels like the end, it _can’t_ be, love is supposed to be worth fighting for, that much Baekhyun _does_ know; he has to _try_ .

“Think of a time in your life when you felt the most loved,” Baekhyun says, and he doesn't need to open his eyes to know when Chanyeol does just that.

Connecting to Chanyeol the same way he connected them all to him before, Baekhyun tries desperately to calm himself down, to cool the inferno raging inside of him as he finds himself watching Chanyeol as a youngster.

Baekhyun sees Chanyeol’s father teaching him how to be a soldier, his mother showing him how to care for things and help them grow. He watches him playing with his childhood friends, meeting Jongin and Yixing later on and then finally he sees himself kissing Chanyeol when his Captain was wounded and waiting for his crewmates to find them.

Focusing harder than he ever has in his incredibly long existence Baekhyun tries to absorb the images – the _memories_ of love and happiness – and listen to the voices around him, quiet calls of _let go of your guilt Baekhyun, fight this for us_ .

But it’s the soft, almost murmured _please come back to me, I love you, my little starlight_ that has every broken fragment of himself scattered across the surface of the planet hurtling towards him all at once, colliding with his body so hard he waits for the pain to splinter him completely.

Only it doesn't.

Instead he feels oddly cool, the way he imagines rocks to feel as a waterfall cascades over them. As though he’s starting anew. As though he’s becoming _whole again_ . As the heat inside dissipates, it takes with it the guilt, the fear and the uncertainty he’s surrounded himself with, leaving behind a hope that the things he’s done wrong can be put right if he helps those around him.

It lets Baekhyun hope that the one who loves him can help him through the turbulence that may still lay ahead, that they truly can travel across the galaxies _together_ .

Opening his eyes, Baekhyun realises that he’s glowing a brilliant shade of pure white, sending light out across the planet like a blanket of hope and protection, and, to his complete shock, Baekhyun sees for the first time the way that pure light can _heal,_ humming in a way that makes even the air around them feel as though it’s vibrating, thrumming with life.

Everywhere it touches begins to restore, from Chanyeol’s burns to the ground scorched by his burning that already seems a lifetime ago. Of course he can’t work miracles, his light can only do so much; but it’s a start.

When the light finally ebbs away and leaves him standing just as he was before, Baekhyun feels incredibly weak and tired, his knees giving out, but not before Chanyeol is on his feet and rushing to him.

“See?” Chanyeol says as he lowers them both to the ground carefully. “I will always be here to catch you when you fall.”

Speechless, Baekhyun simply kisses Chanyeol, who pulls him closer, kisses him deeper until Baekhyun is breathless and tasting his own tears as they spill down his cheeks; only this time they’re not tears of heartache and pain, but tears of a joy unlike anything he’s ever felt before.

“I’m so sorry for everything, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun apologises, clinging to him tightly, “but I swear to you I’ll spend the rest of my existence helping restore the damage I caused and…”

“And?” Chanyeol repeats when Baekhyun trails off.

“And if you want me, I’ll spend the rest of my existence with you too.”

“My whole life, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol smiles, kissing him quickly. “I’ll never want anything else.”

“You had us worried for a minute there,” Jongin pipes up in his usual cheerful fashion.

“I didn't mean to I just… I didn't know what else to do,” Baekhyun confesses. “I couldn't let myself believe that any of you actually needed me too--“

“We’ll always need you,” Chanyeol states firmly. “ _I’ll_ always need you, my little starlight.”

Chanyeol kisses him again and Baekhyun wonders if this is what losing yourself in somebody truly feels like.

“You can just make it up to us by learning how to help with the ship when we get back to the NSF,” Yixing tells him.

Baekhyun frowns. “I thought we were stranded here.”

“Even after your explosive tears, our newly reinstalled communications system survived,” Yixing smiles, letting Baekhyun know he isn’t angry with him anymore. “The NSF are sending a rescue freighter so all we have to do now is wait until they get here.”

“Then I will learn what I must so that I can be useful to you all.”

“All in good time,” Chanyeol chuckles, helping him to his feet. “First we’re taking some much needed leave so that I can show you what life and love _really_ feel like.”

Baekhyun smiles all the way back to the ship.

“Chanyeol?” he asks when they head into the medical bay to be scanned and assessed.

“Hm?”

Baekhyun smiles shyly, pushing himself up onto his toes to press a kiss to Chanyeol’s mouth. “I think I’ve found where I belong.”

“Oh really, and where’s that?” Chanyeol asks, the words spoken against his lips.

Moving to stand next to Chanyeol then, Baekhyun presses as close into him as he can. “Right here by your side.” Everything else he can work on, Baekhyun knows this now, truly believes there is hope for him now and perhaps, if he’s one of the lucky ones--

His heart will never have to break again.

*****

    Chanyeol has been living back on the NSF station _Amalthea_ for a few months now, healing from everything that happened out on Eurydome, with Yixing and Jongin checking on him whenever they aren’t busy, both of them clearly glad to be back in a place much more _occupied_ .

The adjustment hasn't been easy for Baekhyun though, with so much to learn and so many crewmembers to meet on board _Amalthea,_ and so as promised, when Chanyeol was finally deemed fit and healthy enough to leave the hospital, he’d started using a small shuttle ship to take his fallen star to see the galaxy in ways he never has before.

Only a few days ago they returned from a trip to Io – after being granted permission to visit their neighbouring Milky Way galaxy – and Baekhyun was pretty much beside himself for the entire journey. He couldn't take his eyes off the volcanoes on the surface that were near constantly erupting, gasping and glowing softly when Chanyeol told him that there were around four hundred of them, all active and creating plumes of sulphur dioxide that rise above the surface and the lakes that cover the vast landscapes to give the moon its bright yellow colour.

“It looks like it’s made of fire,” Baekhyun had said, awed. “I never knew fire could be so beautiful.”

“There’s beauty in everything,” Chanyeol had told him in return. “You just have to know where to look.”

Of course, it hasn't only been visits to other planets that he’s shared with Baekhyun; there’s been some _interesting_ moments right here on the space station, too.

Standing in the shower now, rinsing his body free of the grime of a hard day's work, Chanyeol remembers fondly one memory in particular that stands out.

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shouts, running into their shared room, soaked through and dripping water everywhere from the shower he’s supposed to be having.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asks quickly, worried by the panic in Baekhyun’s voice.

“ I was washing like you showed me and it just started _sticking out_ and now it won’t go down!” Baekhyun cries, sounding almost childlike in his confusion.

Chanyeol frowns, turning to face him, “What do you mean it won’t-- _oh_ .”

Taking in Baekhyun’s appearance, from his flushed face to his damp skin, all the way down to where his cock stands rosy and half hard between his legs. For the first time, his starlight is _aroused_ .

“That’s-- yeah, that’s arousal, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol tells him, his own cheeks growing hot, stuttering over the words and trying to focus on anything but Baekhyun’s cock because he’s still so vulnerable, so _innocent_ right now it doesn’t seem right.

“What is arousal?” Baekhyun asks, staring down at his cock again before gazing at Chanyeol helplessly. “Is there something wrong with me? Am I broken?”

Chanyeol laughs softly. “No, starlight, you're not broken. It’s just something else you need to learn to adjust to.”

“But… it’s uncomfortable,” Baekhyun almost whines, stepping closer to Chanyeol, “Can you help me?”

Snapping himself back to the present before his daydreams run away with him – life with Baekhyun will never be boring, that’s for sure - Chanyeol shakes his head and finishes washing quickly; no doubt Baekhyun will be waiting for him.

Pulling on a pair of loose black pants he’d taken into the bathroom with him and towelling his hair dry as he walks, Chanyeol wanders into the main bedroom to find Baekhyun curled up – dressed in nothing but an oversized white shirt that covered him almost to his knees – next to the floor to ceiling view screen and staring out at the panoramic view of the infinite universe beyond it.

“Do you still miss it?” Chanyeol asks as he settles down beside Baekhyun, joining him in watching the nebula lighting up the cosmos, beautiful swathes of orange, gold, brown and pink swirling across the endless black.

“ Miss what?”

Chanyeol presses a kiss into Baekhyun’s blonde curls, still damp from his own shower. “Home.”

“Sometimes,” Baekhyun admits, glowing softly as he curls against Chanyeol instead of the window. “A part of me will probably always miss it, but right now I _am_ home… I’m in the new home I’ve created with you.” He looks up then, smiling beautifully. “I had no idea I could feel so happy.”

“That’s a good answer,” Chanyeol says, smiling into the deep kiss that Baekhyun pulls him into. “I love you,” he whispers against Baekhyun’s lips when they finally separate.

“Show me?”

“How?”

A small frown furrows Baekhyun’s brow. “I’m not really sure, but that’s what I heard Yixing say to Jongin one night a few weeks ago when I was passing by their chambers,” he says, looking a little embarrassed. “Shortly after that I heard them become… one with each other. Don't you want to be one with me too, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol finally understands; Baekhyun wants him to _make love to him_ .

“More than anything,” Chanyeol breathes, kissing him again because honestly, he’s never been able to deny Baekhyun much of anything. “Are you sure?” he asks, just in case, because all of this is new to his fallen star and the last thing he wants is to rush him.

Baekhyun smiles, already winding his arms around Chanyeol’s shoulders and pressing closer still. “I’m sure.”

Quietly, carefully, Chanyeol lifts Baekhyun up, carrying him to their bed and setting him down in the soft sheets gently. “Don't be afraid, starlight,” he says when he notices the way Baekhyun trembles slightly. “I will never hurt you. I promise to only make you feel good.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Chanyeol. I never really have been,” Baekhyun says lightly, reaching out to run gentle fingers along the curve of Chanyeol’s jaw, “but I’m _nervous_ .”

Chanyeol takes Baekhyun’s hand in his own, kissing his palm. “That’s perfectly normal, Baekhyun, but it’ll soon pass because I’m going to take care of you.” Another kiss to his palm. “I’ll always take care of you.”

After that, Baekhyun falls incredibly still (minus the trembling) and quiet, watching as Chanyeol moves off the bed briefly to rid himself of his pants before crawling back onto the mattress, lifting one of Baekhyun’s legs and bending to press a soft kiss to the inside of his ankle.

This kiss marks the beginning of a journey up Baekhyun’s body, mapped by kisses he presses into satin soft skin, peppering up his calf, over his knee and nipping into his inside thigh, hands pushing the material of his shirt up as he goes.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun gasps as Chanyeol kisses over his hips, the slight curve of his stomach and up towards his chest, pressing his body between his thighs and smiling against his skin when Baekhyun naturally parts them to let him closer.

Pausing only to remove Baekhyun’s shirt completely, Chanyeol pecks his lips once before shifting his focus to Baekhyun’s nipples, toying one into a stiff peak with flicks of his tongue whilst pinching and rolling the other with his fingers, until his fallen star is gasping and arching his back to press further into the caress.

Pulling back to admire his handy work, the little red blotches on Baekhyun’s skin from where he nipped him to his cock already hard and wet between his thighs and mere centimetres from Chanyeol’s own, he gasps out loud when Baekhyun is suddenly sitting up, hands running up Chanyeol’s body in tentative exploration.

But the way Baekhyun’s eyes darken to gunmetal silver soon has Chanyeol unable to resist pushing him back down into the sheets, subtly retrieving the lubricant from the bedside drawer.

“I don't want to hurt you,” Chanyeol says in answer to Baekhyun’s questioning gaze as he coats several fingers in the cool substance after sliding a pillow beneath him to elevate his hips slightly. “If it gets too much, don't be afraid to tell me to stop, okay?”

Baekhyun nods, thighs already trembling as he opens them further. “Okay.”

Deciding that a little distraction never hurt anybody, Chanyeol grips Baekhyun’s cock in one hand, pleasuring him with firm, measured strokes whilst smearing extra lube around Baekhyun’s entrance, over and over until Baekhyun is breathless, little whimpers spilling from his lips every few seconds.

Chanyeol takes his time, easing inside one finger at a time, giving Baekhyun time to adjust to the stretch and kissing away every sharp intake of breath that’s more pain than pleasure.

This isn’t the first time they’ve been physically intimate, but they've never gone ‘all the way’ together and Chanyeol knows that for as much as he wants it, Baekhyun is nervous about making love with him, and so wants to do everything he can to cause him as little pain as possible.

Baekhyun gasps, writhing on the bed, seemingly torn between arching his hips off the bed to push his cock further into the vice of Chanyeol’s hand and pressing back against his scissoring fingers. “Chanyeol, please… I want--”

“What?” Chanyeol asks, stroking a thumb over the crown of his cock just to hear him gasp in pleasure. “What do you want?”

“ _You,_ Chanyeol--” Baekhyun pants, sounding a little impatient. “Make love to me.”

Chanyeol briefly wonders where he heard that phrase, but his own desire outweighs curiosity and he moves to cup Baekhyun’s face in both hands as he bends to kiss him deeply. “I love you.”

When inch by inch Chanyeol finally pushes inside, Baekhyun can’t seem to speak, can do nothing other than cling, shaking, to Chanyeol’s body and kiss at his skin until he adjusts to the stretch, the feeling of being filled for the very first time.

“How do you feel?” Chanyeol asks, and gasps in surprise when instead of speaking, Baekhyun connects them again the way he did that day they almost lost it all.

It’s overwhelming, the new sensations coursing through his body, the electric nerves and heated passion, the need for them to be closer closer closer but it’s still never enough. He feels the love Baekhyun holds so much of, all of it for him, and the bond between them is so strong it has Chanyeol blinking back tears as he kisses him fiercely.

“Everything,” Chanyeol breathes against his lips. “You feel everything.”

“I feel _you_ ,” Baekhyun pants, arching his back and moaning loudly when Chanyeol cants his hips and pushes a little deeper, loves him a little harder.

Chanyeol is never going to tire of this, of loving Baekhyun with everything he has, and now he knows, now he can _feel_ that his beautiful starlight will never tire of him either; he wonders if perhaps crashing his ship and catching a fallen star wasn't by chance at all…perhaps in one way or another, they’ve always been fated to end up together.

 

    Baekhyun never wants this feeling, this _night_ to ever end.

He never wants to stop being wrapped around Chanyeol, never wants to lose the way it feels to have the weight of his body on top of him, or the way his muscles pull taut and flex with every push of his hips as he moves with Baekhyun.

It’s unlike anything he ever knew he could experience, and it makes Baekhyun wonder how, if love can feel like this, he’s survived so long without it. Amethyst eyes lock with the silver of his own gaze, and Chanyeol moves Baekhyun’s hands from where they’re gripping red crescents into his shoulders to pin them against the pillows gently, their fingers lacing together.

When Chanyeol kisses him, Baekhyun moans into his mouth, arching upward and desperate to feel more of him, to have Chanyeol deeper inside until he’s being claimed in every way possible amongst the stars he can still vaguely see over Chanyeol’s shoulder.

Every star should have the chance to feel this way, he decides, so loved and wanted, and Baekhyun finds himself actually _grateful_ to the supernova that sent him spiralling through space because if it hadn’t then none of this would be possible. He’d have never met Chanyeol, leaving his eternal existence truly empty yet without him ever understanding why.

Body and soul, Baekhyun connects with Chanyeol, letting him feel the way he does, letting him _understand_ all the things he can never find the words to say. The tears he sees in Chanyeol’s eyes before their lips find each other once more tells Baekhyun that he’s _right there with him_ .

Only this time, the connection goes both ways, and for the first time Baekhyun is as much a part of Chanyeol, as Chanyeol is a part of him. It’s overwhelming, how deeply he’s felt for Baekhyun since the first time they met, the desperation to keep him safe and protected, how much he needs him and how he loves him just as deeply as the vastness of the universe around them.

Endlessly.

Baekhyun never imagined that life and love could be this way, never knew just how big the missing piece inside himself must have been, but now he knows he never wants to have to give it up. _This_ is exactly where he should be, the only place he’ll ever want to be again.

“You’re so beautiful, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol praises, shifting to slide strong hands down Baekhyun’s quivering body, over his hips to grip his legs behind his knees and hoisting them higher as he pushes impossibly deeper inside him. “You’re glowing.”

_Literally_ , Baekhyun thinks as he glances down his own body, his skin, damp with pleasure, glowing an almost pure white. He briefly wonders if that light will always be with him, or if it will fade the longer he’s away from celestial home. But then Chanyeol is pushing up against something deep inside him that feels so good he can no longer think at all.

“I-- _oh_ \--I love you,” Baekhyun confesses, wishing he could somehow say more, but the pleasure shivering through his body leaves him unable to do anything other than cry out and succumb to the fire of Chanyeol’s next kiss.

Baekhyun feels everything all at once: the burning need to be connected this way with his other half, the irrepressible pleasure that threatens to consume him and the electricity that sparks all over his skin each and every time Chanyeol touches him.

Baekhyun is on fire, burning red-hot from the inside out he’s sure of it, but this time it doesn't hurt, doesn't leave him quaking in fear because this isn’t the fire of destruction. It’s the fire of a desperate need for some kind of _release_ to push him through everything he’s feeling.

Limbs trembling and lungs struggling to draw breath, all this sensation is almost too much to bear, “Chanyeol,” Baekhyun gasps, holding him close as their movements grow faster, more desperate and uncoordinated. “Chanyeol, please!” he pleads, begging for a feeling he isn’t sure how to ask for.

“Ssh, I’ve got you, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol hushes him with a kiss. “Just relax and let it go,” he whispers when he can clearly feel the way Baekhyun’s whole being grows rigid under the onslaught of pleasure rocking through him, “It’s okay my little starlight… Just let it go.”

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun cries, his eyes rolling back as he finally loses his grip on something he isn’t sure he was ever in control of in the first place.

It’s a culmination of everything he’s ever felt for Chanyeol, from the day they met to the moment right now in this bed – the fire and electricity, the heat and the tension all rolled into one – it all rolls through him in wave after wave of euphoria as his body succumbs to the climax it has been seeking until he’s panting and trembling but complete and connected in a way he never has been before.

Only when his vision clears enough for him to realise that Chanyeol’s head is dipped down against his collarbone, his breath coming in quick pants does Baekhyun realise that he must be feeling the same way too.

“Don’t hold back from me either,” Baekhyun whispers, bringing a hand to twist shaking fingers into the dark tresses of Chanyeol’s damp hair. “I want you to let it go. Let it go and experience ecstasy with me, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol almost shouts Baekhyun’s name, his hips suddenly going static as he spills hot and hard inside Baekhyun; he swears he’s never felt anything so perfect in his entire existence.

Collapsing together, Baekhyun finds himself whimpering at the loss when Chanyeol pulls out of him carefully, but before he has the chance to feel too distressed he’s being pulled into Chanyeol’s arms and kissed with a passion that’s just as intense as before but without the blazing inferno threatening to ignite and consume them both.

Baekhyun loves these kisses just as much though, they’re warm and inviting, full of the feeling he now understands as love and can’t (won’t) ever get enough of.

“I want to thank you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says quietly a short while later, when they’re spooned together beneath the sheets and gazing back out at the stars and the beautiful glittering nebula.

“Thank me? What for?”

Baekhyun turns over in Chanyeol’s arms so that he can see him properly, “For making me whole again… for _completing_ me.”

“We complete each other,” Chanyeol vows, smiling against his lips as he kisses him softly. “I love you.”

“And I you,” Baekhyun almost sighs, settling back into his previous position and feeling the beat of his heart synchronise with Chanyeol’s as he falls asleep with another whispered _I love you_ into the curls of his hair.

For what had to have been an eternity, time had no meaning to Baekhyun, but now he’s counting every second because every second _matters_ , as precious to him now as each beat of Chanyeol’s beautiful heart.

Forever matters now, because that’s the place where each and every memory they make together will always linger. And even though Baekhyun is no longer a celestial watchman of the Universe, he isn’t empty, isn’t lonely anymore.

He fell, he can deny that no more than he can deny the damage caused in the aftermath of that fall.

But it doesn't hurt anymore, not in the same way. Because now Baekhyun understands that the consequences of another star going supernova weren’t his fault any more than Yixing’s or Jongin’s.

Baekhyun fell, but Chanyeol caught him, healed his broken heart and made him whole again. Baekhyun is a fallen star, but he’s no longer haunted by nightmares of fire and pain and unimaginable guilt. He no longer dreams of free falling through space, down down down for eternity because he isn’t falling anymore. No. With Chanyeol by his side, now and every second yet to come,

Baekhyun is _flying_ .

**~*~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you in advance to anybody who read this through to the end, and likes it enough to leave kudos/comment ♡♡


End file.
